Gray and Purple Marble

I'm a pretty big fan of the plastic wrap marble. It's quick and easy nail art for when you don't have time for something more complex.

For this manicure, I started with a base of China Glaze Recycle, a light gray cream. I let that dry completely, then I added a thick coat of China Glaze Purple Panic. I used a piece of crumpled plastic wrap and pressed it against the wet polish to remove some, leaving a marble pattern. Make sure to do this one nail at a time since you don't want the top polish to dry!

I like the contrast of the gray against the neon, don't you?

Neon Glitter Stripes

Are you ever just really pleased with the way a nail design comes out? That's how I felt about today's manicure.

I started with a base of China Glaze Purple Panic, a purple-pink neon. I let that dry completely. I wanted to have really crisp lines, so I used tape to cover the top third of my nail and painted the bottom two thirds with China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, a dark gray creme. I let that dry completely, then I used tape to block off the top and bottom thirds of my nail, leaving only the middle strip exposed. I painted that over with Barry M Silver Multi Glitter, a fine silver glitter with hints of pink.

I think this design came out so well! The colors play really well together. I love the contrast of the gray and neon as well as the way the pink glitters compliment the purple.

I didn't want to take this design off! Tape really can do wonders for clean lines if you have the patience for it.

Black Knight Stripes

Over Christmas Break, I purchased a polish that had been a lemming of mine for a while: Black Knight by Butter London. Their polishes are a bit expensive for my tastes, but I had a discount coupon at Sephora and went for it. And I'm glad I did!

Black Knight is a rainbow of glitters in a black base, with the dominant colors being pink and blue. I decided to do some nail art with it.

For the glitter nails, I used one coat of Black Knight over a base of China Glaze Liquid Leather. Black Knight can definitely reach full opacity on its own, but I like conserving polish. For the striped nails, I started with China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, then I freehanded stripes of Black Knight. I sealed it all with some Seche Vite, and that's it!

I'm glad I decided to splurge on this polish :) I just can't get enough glitter.

Happy Hands: Afternoon Thunderstorms

England has been fantastic so far! My only complaint is the weather - it's been awfully snowy, and I think the sun has been out for a total of 6 hours or so. In honor of the gray weather, I have another polish by Happy Hands to show you. This one is called Afternoon Thunderstorms. 

Afternoon Thunderstorms is a light gray creme with matte black hex glitters in various sizes. It also has a subtle golden shimmer.

To conserve polish, I layered this over Alexandra's "Hot" Gray, a light gray creme by Brucci. I used just one coat of Afternoon Thunderstorms. The polish went on smoothly, and the glitter distribution was nice and even.

I think the golden shimmer makes this polish really interesting! It really does evoke the image of thunderstorms.

Happy Hands can be purchased from their Etsy shop.

Different Dimension: Smashing Pumpkins

Today, I bring you photos from my new camera! Wooo. I got a Nikon Coolpix S8200. I'm still figuring out its settings, so bear with me.

Anyway, on to the polish: Smashing Pumpkins by Different Dimension.

Taking macro bottle shots is tricky with my new camera :( Smashing Pumpkins has orange and black hexes with iridescent, pearly square glitters suspended in a sheer gray base. Oh and guess what: It glows in the dark!

I started out with two coats of Recycle by China Glaze. Then I layered two coats of Smashing Pumpkins. I think I would have liked a little bit more of the bigger glitters in this polish. Otherwise, I have no complaints! Consistency was good, and the glitters were easy to work with.

Close ups are hard too!

Not only does it glow - it glows in orange/yellow! I don't have any other polishes that glow that color. I think the glow is a little weak compared to polishes that glow green, but I like it!

This polish was part of her Halloween collection, so I don't think it's available anymore :( But she has lots of other great polishes available in her Etsy store.

Once Upon A Polish: Queen of Hearts

I finally tried out one of my new indies that I had been admiring in the bottle for a very long time. It's called Queen of Hearts by Once Upon A Polish. When I saw it in her Etsy shop, I knew I had to have it. For some reason, I let it sit on my shelf for a few weeks before I finally tried it out. But let me tell you, this polish did not disappoint.

Queen of Hearts is PACKED with glitter: black, white, and gold hexes as well as big red and black hearts in a clear base. I was nervous that I would have trouble getting the bigger glitters out of the bottle. But that was not a problem.

That is just one coat of this fabulous polish over Recycle by China Glaze. I'm drooling. Look at all of that glitter!

I love this polish so much that I took lots of pictures. See the rest after the jump!