Manicures From the Last Two Weeks

Since the snow storm and power outage, I have fallen behind sharing my pictures.  These are my manicures from the last two weeks.

The first manicure was inspired by a Halloween carnival, like the one from Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.

"The night was sweet with the dust of autumn leaves that smelled as if the fine sands of ancient Egypt were drifting to dunes beyond the town." --Ray Bradbury

Halloween manicure inspired by Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (tungsten lighting)

Thumb:  2 coats China Glaze "Cross Iron 360" topped with CG "Black Mesh"
Index finger:  2 coats China Glaze "Cross Iron 360"
Middle finger:  2 coats Milani "Purple Passion"
Ring finger:  2 coats China Glaze "It's Alive"
Pinky:  2 coats China Glaze "Cross Iron 360"
Base coat:  Sally Hansen Double Duty
Top coat:  Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Next, I tried to create a second Halloween manicure, but to me, it looked more "leopard print" than "spooky Halloween." (Note: In person, the orange is darker and less yellow. It is an orange rust color.)

Halloween mani with China Glaze "Cross Iron 360" and "Black Mesh" (tungsten lighting)

Base color:  2 coats China Glaze "Cross Iron 360"
Crackle: China Glaze "Black Mesh"
Base coat:  Sally Hansen Double Duty
Top coat:  Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

This next mani was a huge failure.  It only lasted a few hours on my nails before I removed it.  I tried out the new Wet n Wild polish "FuchiasRama," a gorgeous color.  The manicure looked fine when I first applied it, but within a couple hours, it looked mottled, worn, and chipped.  This is probably the worst nail polish I have ever tried in terms of quality.  The picture below shows the mani immediately after painting.

Wet n Wild "FuschiaRama" and Sinful Colors "Frenzy" (tungsten lighting)

Main color:  2 (or was it 3?) coats of Wet n Wild "FuschiaRama" (spelled as one word on the bottle)
Ring fingers: An additional 2 coats of Sinful Colors "Frenzy," a pink and blue glitter
Base coat:  Sally Hansen Double Duty
Top coat:  Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

The last mani I have to show you was a huge success.  I love this red.  It is Essie "Plumberry," a gorgeous medium red with blue undertones and a slight bit of shimmer.  It is my new favorite red nail polish.  It is between a raspberry and a cranberry color, so "Plumberry" is the perfect name.  The polish applies evenly and looks amazing in 2 coats.  I love it, and it looks great against my pale skin.

I had a difficult time capturing the true "Plumberry" color in a picture.  Its true color is somewhere between the two from the images below.  Imagine the brightness from the first picture but make it a little darker and more blue-toned like the second picture.

Essie "Plumberry" (sunlight)

Essie "Plumberry" (tungsten lighting)

Color:  2 coats Essie "Plumberry"
Base coat:  Sally Hansen Double Duty
Top coat:  New York Color "Grand Central Station"

I'm not sure if it was the "Plumberry" or the top coat (see next paragraph), but this manicure lasted three to four days before any chipping or wear, and I am rough on my nails.  I was amazed.

I tried a new top coat, New York Color "Grand Central Station," and it is my new favorite top coat.  It is easier to apply than Seche Vite (not as thick), and it is less shiny (which I prefer).  It dries just as quickly and seems to last longer, and it costs much less.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!  What are your favorite fall nail polishes / manicures?  I will be doing a post on my favorites soon.

[NOTD] China Glaze Ghoulish Glow

I have glow-in-the-dark nails!  I feel seven years old.

I used Orly Ridgefiller as my base coat, which right now, I'm not loving - it applied a little streaky.  Then I added 1 coat of Essie "Cloud Nine," a milky white - which isn't streaky at all.  China Glaze "Ghoulish Glow" had a good glow after 3 coats, but I added a 4th for good measure.  Since it dries fast, this wasn't an issue.  I finished with 1 coat of Seche Vite.

China Glaze "Ghoulish Glow"

"Ghoulish Glow" looks like a milky (very slightly green-tone) white on my nails in bright light.  It really just looks like sterotypical 80s glow in the dark color - a somewhat mottled, translucent, faint greenish milky white.

China Glaze "Ghoulish Glow" (indoors, tungsten light)

Like most 80s glow-in-the-dark items, the polish glows strongly after being in direct light, then its glow quickly diminishes.  I took one picture, then I took another less than 30 seconds later, and the glow intensity had already diminished significantly.

China Glaze "Ghoulish Glow" : The glow diminishes after 30 seconds.

I'm still wearing my glow-in-the-dark manicure from Thursday.  Today is Saturday, and there is minimal tip wear (and I'm rough on my nails).

Earlier in the week, I had another Halloween mani/pedi.

[NOTD] China Glaze "Inner Beauty" and Zoya "Shivon"

NOTD = Nail of the Day

Today on my fingernails, I have China Glaze "Inner Beauty," and on my toenails, I have Zoya "Shivon."  For all nails, Sally Hansen Double Duty is my base coat, and Seche Vite Dry Fast is my top coat.

China Glaze "Inner Beauty" (tungsten lighting)

China Glaze "Inner Beauty" is a very pale pink.  I'm wearing 3 coats.  My nail line is visible (which I like), but it is not completely sheer, and it covers up some nail imperfections.  It looks a little streaky on a couple of my nails, but the rest look awesome, so I think it is only streaky because I am sloppy when I apply polish.  I painted my fingernails on Thursday, and the picture was taken on Saturday.  Today is Sunday, and my manicure has no chips or wear - woo!  (I am rough with my nails/hands - washing dishes, kneading bread, etc.)  It appears the polish might be starting to peel off near the cuticles, but I find that always happens when I use Seche Vite as the top coat.

I put my pedicure after the jump in case you don't want to see my feet.  (They are not gross, just... feet.)