China Glaze Spellbound Top Coat

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This morning, I was undecided on a manicure for today, and someone suggested I just go with something I had not yet worn, which helped a lot. Then I decided I felt like glitter, which narrowed it down to one: China Glaze's Spellbound Top Coat. I didn't know this one was marketed as a top coat until I got it from Head 2 Toe (they have just the Spellbound individually, not only in the set with the GID, which I already have). In any case, it's my only untried glitter, so Spellbound it is!

It's a silver and orange glitter in a clear base. I thought that to be the most Halloween-y, it would be best over black, and that black would also best accentuate both the silver and orange glitter. Some like the subtlety of matching a glitter and a base, but when we're talking about orange and silver glitter, I think all subtlety is already out the window!

I started with one moderately thick coat of Nubar Black, enough to make it opaque in one coat. I picked that one for two practical reasons: it dries very quickly and it was already out. By the time I finished the tenth nail, the first was dry. I added one coat on Spellbound, and the glitter was sufficiently dense to let just the teeniest bit of black show, but very thoroughly cover the nail with glitter, so I stopped at one. This made it very low maintenance, being only two coats for a layered manicure. I topped it with Diamont and called it done. Here's the finished mani under artificial light.

For comparison, I'll show you the pictures of the Color Club Master of Disguise & Abracadabra manicure I did not too long ago, using a black base and orange glitter. The orange glitter was in and orange tinted base, and is also one coat each. They look quite different to me.

The China Glaze glitter is quite a bit more dense, and the silver glitter adds some interest to it. I think the Color Club one is definitely more straight-up Halloween and is smoother, and the China Glaze one is more disco Halloween. I like both. Now that I think of it, I wore the Color Club one on a Sunday morning as well - I went out with some girlfriends, and one grabbed my hand and said, "Look at those nails!" and they became a conversation piece for a moment.

That's the scoop for today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Lippmann Collection Wicked Game

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I made some plans to go out to dinner with my dad tonight, and thought the glitter party manicure would not be the most appropriate thing in the world. My dear ol' dad loves me just as I am, but for him, I tone it down a little bit!

I chose Lippmann Collection's Wicked Game, the other Holiday 2009 color, as the next one to wear. It's really strikingly duochrome in the bottle, but only moderately so on the nail. I did three coats and can still see through my nails in the light, but can live with it. I like the color a lot. It's primarily a pinkish purple shimmer, somewhat washed out, with a kind of hard to describe, brownish, greenish duochrome effect. Very pretty, neither color is especially strong, and they kind of fade into one another, which is what makes them hard to describe. In the bottle, where the effect is strong, it's hard for the eye to catch either - it's cool.

This is three coats over a base in two different lighting conditions in an attempt to show you the duochrome a little better.

In the second picture with the brighter light, you can see through my nails. The color in that one is more true to life. I gave the first, dimmer picture to show the duochrome - it seemed to me that the effect showed up a little better in that picture, but the picture itself is dark.

That's it for today, Dear Reader. I'm done with nails today! I'm off to do other stuff for a few hours, then out to dinner with my beloved father. I'm going to his house half an hour early so we can show off our current projects to each other - we're each other's #1 fan. It's a good deal! So until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Lippmann Collection Happy Birthday Part Deux

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I was just sitting here for a moment, and out of the corner of my eye saw the sun shine on the house next door, so I ran outside and took new pictures of Lippmann Collection's Happy Birthday for you. It's not bright sunny out - it's cloudy, but the sun peeked out through the clouds just enough to get a good picture. It's actually better than glaring sun, especially for glitter, and the pictures turned out quite true to life.

I'm able to comment on the wear of this polish as well, and have found it to be excellent. I mentioned I've been knitting - my technique is atypical (I taught myself using books in college), and I use my nails to move stitches, which is murder on a manicure. I'm quick, so multiply the wear by a several hundred stitches since I put it on. I didn't refresh the mani for new pictures, and it shows no wear at all, so I'm very pleased.

Here are the pictures in good light, again with a base and top, now about 16 hours old having been knocked around.

I love it more now than I did last night! It's just so dang happy.

That's it for now, Dear Reader. Until next time,love and nail polish to you!