Flower Nail Art

Helloooo, everyone! I hope you're enjoying the last day of June - it seems like it's gone by so fast! Today I have some nail art that I did with my new Nubar nail art pens. I got the creme set, and so far I'm loving them. I really want to buy all the other sets too, but as I'm saving up both for a MacBook Pro (my mom's buying most of it, but I want to contribute) for college and a new iPhone, that probably won't happen anytime soon. Oh well, hopefully I'll get one of the on-campus jobs I applied for and have a little spending money come fall.

*steers back on topic* Ahem. So. This was actually quite easy to do, and looks quite nice if you just have, you know, normal eyes. If you have 0.3-mm macro focusing eyes like my camera does, though, it looks a bit smeary. Ew. I assure you this wasn't - and isn't - visible in real life.

indoors, artificial light

Ta-da! It's not the neatest job ever, but it'll do. I used Zoya Robyn for the base and Nubar pens in Plum, Mint, and Navy Blue for the flowers. I find it kind of funny that the green nail art pen is called "mint," because while we normally think of mint green as a pale, cool green, this green is closer to the actual color of mint leaves. I'm not sure why I'm amused by that - maybe because I'm typing this at 4:30 in the morning because I can't go to sleep - but I am. I'll have some more nature-y nail art for you tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Pink Wednesday: Jelly Sandwich

Today's Pink Wednesday post is my first (I think) jelly sandwich. I used Revlon Desire, one of the new Revlon jellies, Nubar 2010, and a base of Wet n Wild White Creme to satisfy my hate of VNL. I used quite a few coats, as my manicure went something like this: Wet n Wild White Creme, Revlon Desire, Nubar 2010, Revlon Desire, Nubar 2010, Revlon Desire, Nubar 2010, Revlon Desire. Yeah. And then I put Insta-Dri on top to make it all shiny.

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

I really like this combination, though I don't think I'm quite as fond of the jelly-flakie sandwich as I am of matteified flakies...we shall see. I need to buy a new bottle of Revlon Royal (I used the last for frankens) so I can try one with that.

Learned and Lacquered: UV Absorbers

I wouldn't be surprised if you all thought Learned and Lacquered had died somewhere along the way this June, but I never intended for the third part of the series to be so long in coming - I've just been, simply put, hella busy! Who knew that an unemployed teenager could be so busy during the summer months, eh? Anyway, though I have occasionally had a little time to whip up a post, I haven't had enough time to think about writing one of these until now. Fortunately, I am now relatively busy-free until I have to get ready to leave for Greece (fingers crossed) the last week of July. All of my personal matters aside, today's topic is a type of ingredient that I had no idea was so prevalent in polish until I started my research and squinty label-reading: UV absorbers.

This photo belongs to iquebalsun on deviantART

As I hope you all know, in addition to the rays that the sun emits in the visible light spectrum, it also emits ultraviolet rays, or UV rays. UV absorbers are used in many products to absorb ultraviolet rays, and are used to many different effects. However, I'm going to assume you only care about the nail polish, so let's move on to that. All of the top coats I have ingredient lists for (you can see the document here) contain at least one UV absorber, and so do at least half of the nail polish brands.

There are not that many different UV absorbers used in nail polish - the only ones I know of are Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-3, Benzophenone-4, and etocrylene. Those UV absorbers are used to protect polish from yellowing due to ultraviolet rays; however, I also wonder if they might have another use. UV absorbers are used in plastic to prevent the plastic from aging and becoming brittle due to ultraviolet rays - in fact, benzophenones are used for this purpose in PVC plastic. I'm inclined to think that benzophenones might also increase durability in nail polish, especially since nail polish contains plasticizers. This is just conjecture on my part, but I think it's an interesting possibility. If you know anything about it, please leave a comment.

Aaaand here's the recap:

• UV absorbers are chemicals that absorb ultraviolet rays.
• Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-3, Benzophenone-4, and etocrylene are UV absorbers used in nail polish.
• UV absorbers help keep nail polish from yellowing and, possibly, increase the wear time of polish.

Pizzaaaa!

Quite a while back, I did a nail art design for Nail Polish Art Addiction's Good Enough to Eat contest, and now voting is open! I'm the third entry, and if you haven't voted already, I'd really appreciate it if you could go vote for me. Voting ends next Tuesday, June 28. Hence, today's entry is the nail art I submitted - and a tutorial! As you can probably guess from the title, I did a pizza manicure. First, here's the finished nail art:

Now, here's the tutorial. I decided to post one image with all the steps depicted, then post the instructions, and then post the final result again. So here is what the steps look like:

1. Slap on some base coat, then paint triangles on your nails (with the wide end at the tips of your nails) in a nude color. I used Mecca Holiday.
2. Paint the tips of your nails in a brown color, which will be the crust. I didn't have anything that I thought was the right color, so I used a mix of OPI Chop-sticking to My Story, Mecca Holiday, and Dr.'s Remedy Desire Dark Brown.
3. Sponge the triangles in a pale yellow color. I used American Apparel Butter (and a packing peanut, my cheapie sponging tool of choice).
4. Sponge the triangles in a golden yellow (Nina Ultra Pro Like Butta) and a brownish golden yellow (OPI Chop-sticking to My Story, Nina Ultra Pro Like Butta, and Dr.’s Remedy Desire Dark Brown).

5. Dot some pepperoni on in a medium red creme (Mecca Roman), add some green peppers in a medium green creme (Nina Ultra Pro Salsa), and add some mushrooms in a grey creme (Sally Hansen Wet Cement).
6. Finally, clean up the triangle edges with some remover and a brush, add top coat, and you're done!

And again, the final result:

So, there you are - please let me know if you use this tutorial, and if you blog about it, feel free to email me the link (please don't leave it in the comments, though, because I will delete the comment). Honestly, though, I don't expect you all to go out with pizza on your nails. :) And, for one last plug...go vote! http://polishartaddiction.blogspot.com/2011/06/vote-in-good-enough-to-eat-contest.html

Yellow Doll + Crushed Candy

*headdesk* Fail fail fail fail faillll. I'm sorry I wasn't able to post for the past five days - I really thought I'd have time, but as it turns out, I didn't. On the upside, I am now all registered for college! I'll be taking University 101 (a kind of "welcome to college let's get acclimated" course), Intro to Sociology, American Youth Movement in the Post-War Era, Communicating in Arabic I, Honors Politics of the Developing World, and Human Communication and Culture. It'll be 16 credit hours, and I'm hoping to have a part-time, on-campus job. Who knows how much time I'll have for blogging, but hopefully I'll be able to post on a regular basis.

Anyway, today's manicure is GOSH Yellow Doll and China Glaze Crushed Candy. I think this combination is absolutely perfect, and just looking at the pictures makes me want to do it again.

 outdoors, sunlight

 outdoors, shade

indoors, artificial light

Before I remembered this, I was thinking about doing a neon yellow with blue crackle for my next manicure. Clearly, I am a creature of habit. Or something. Sorry for the crap pictures, by the way. I think they're a result of a combination of my shaky hands and my camera being all, "holy crap that's bright." Like I said...or something. At any rate, sorry.

Oh, and for a completely non-nail-related ending to this post...POTTERMORE. *flails*

OPI Miss Universe

Unleash Your Inner Beauty Queen!


OPI Launches Limited Edition
Miss Universe Lacquers


Pageant-pretty nail lacquers in the new Miss Universe by OPI promotion give fingers and toes added glitz and glamour. Featuring four shades packed with shimmer and sparkle, these limited edition colors capture the energy of the 2011 MISS UNIVERSE® competition, to be held September 12, 2011, in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Miss Universe is the most popular and publicized beauty pageant in the world,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “We are excited to partner with the Miss Universe Organization, whose contestants provided so much inspiration for rich, high-fashion color.”

With shades ranging from berry and golden pink to electric blue and glittery silver, Miss Universe by OPI provides high-shine lacquers, including:




Congeniality is My Middle Name
And berry-wine shimmer is what I do best!



It’s MY Year
It’s about time for this champagne-rose to shine!




Swimsuit…Nailed It!
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie vibrant shiny-blue bikini.






Crown Me Already!
A sassy silver sparkle that knows what it’s worth.


The Miss Universe Organization named OPI its official nail care sponsor this June. Additionally, Weiss-Fischmann will be a judge for the 2011 Miss USA® pageant, a precursor to the Miss Universe competition.

Miss Universe by OPI Nail Lacquers contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. This limited-edition promotion will be available beginning August 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

New Custom Domain!

This is just a post to let everyone know that I've switched my blog over to a custom domain, which means that this is now www.never-unpolished.com - woohoo! It's not a huge change, but I feel like it makes my blog seem more put together and professional, which is always a good thing. My old address, never-unpolished.blogspot.com, will redirect to the new .com address, so you shouldn't need to change anything on your end if you follow me. That's all!

Franken: Kiwi

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days...this is another really hectic week, and since I'll be gone all weekend, I'm not sure how many posts I'll be able to schedule. This manicure is from a while back, when my nails were even nubbier than they are now. This was the first time I used loose glitter in a franken, and I really like the way it came out. I used Nina Ultra Pro Salsa, Nina Ultra Pro Like Butta, Sally Hansen Lightening, BB Couture Grasshopper, China Glaze Starboard, BB Couture Pina Colada, BB Couture Uranus, Seche Vite, and SuperNail glitter in New Moon. This is three coats.

indoors, artificial light

I'm really happy with the way this turned out, and it's definitely one of my favorite frankens. It's a bit gritty without top coat, but I kind of expected that, so it didn't bother me. The funny thing is, I set out intending to make a green the color of guacamole, but after I had the base done, I thought, "If you added black glitter, it would look like kiwi..." So, of course, I did, hence the name.

I also had to add crackle. In hindsight, I'd also like to see this under black crackle, but I added Fault Line in the pictures. This is actually the only time I've used Fault Line...clearly, I need to get on that. Anyway, here's a coat of Fault Line and a coat of Seche Vite over Kiwi:

indoors, artificial light

Ta-da! I've always liked green and purple together, and this is no exception. I'm thinking I'll have to try Fault Line over black next. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen that combination, and I think it'd look cool.

In other news, what do you think about my new background? I really like my old one, but I decided that it was time for a change, and I really liked the textured look of this one. I hope you like it too!

Unoriginal Crackle

This is pretty much the least original crackle manicure that I've done - black and gold. I tried it out quite a while back when I first got my crackles, and unoriginal as it may be, I really like the combination. I used Orly Luxe and China Glaze Black Mesh.

indoors, artificial light

I know you've probably seen this look ten zillion times by now, but I figured I had worn it and might as well post it. So, now you've seen it ten zillion and one times! :) Sorry this is such a short post, but there's really not much to say about this combination except that I really, really like it - which I already said. Until next time!

Mint Candy Lightning

This is a manicure I did quite a while back, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I wanted to try a crackle combination that was softer than some others I've tried, so I used a coat of China Glaze Lightning Bolt over two coats of Essie Mint Candy Apple. It's a little more contrasting in real life, though still subtle. In the second picture, I've added Essie Matte About You.

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

I really like this combination, and I'll have to try some more in the future...What do you think? Do you like it, is it too subtle, or are you over crackles altogether? I know I'm not! :)

Pink Wednesday: Pink Fail

Before I get to the polish, I want to let you all know that I'm going to be out of town this afternoon through Sunday (I'm going to a young adult brain tumor survivor's retreat). Therefore, I scheduled posts for Friday and Sunday - I would schedule posts for all the days I'm going to be gone, but I'll be out of town next Thursday and Friday as well, so I thought I should save some. :) However, since I don't have time to do all the research and whatnot before I leave, there will be no Learned and Lacquered post this Sunday, just a regular nail polish post. Sorry!

Unfortunately, my first post now that my blog is back up and running is a bit of a fail. I got Maybelline Pink Glimpse, a pale pink shimmer, at Walgreens a little while back, and while I didn't have high expectations, it didn't wow me. I was impressed at first because the polish actually does dry quite fast. It requires four coats for opacity, but that didn't bother me because it dried so quickly. But then, there were bubbles.

indoors, artificial light

Yuck. Yuckyuckyuck. I hate bubbles, and Pink Glimpse bubbles like nobody's business. I didn't have my fan turned on, I let each coat dry before putting on the next - I did everything one can to prevent bubbles. But there they are, in full force. I think I'll empty this bottle and use it for a franken...

Also, check out the awesome widget at the bottom of this post! I love it, and it has more social bookmarking/sharing sites than I even knew existed.

P.S. I'm using my trip as an opportunity to do a wear test on some Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips that I picked up on clearance a while back, so you can look forward to a post on that in the near future! In case you're curious, the ones I got are the denim-patterned ones (Skinny Jeans).

500 Followers! (But Blogger Sucks)

Edit: Never mind! Steph from Imperfectly Painted suggested that I change my template and then change it back, and that fixed it. YAY! :)

First of all, I'd like to say that I am shocked and very, very pleased to have 500 followers. I don't think it's quite sunk in...500 people?! That is a lot. 500 people is almost twice the size of my high school class. :o So thank you, thank you, thank you! Since I just had a giveaway, I won't be having another quite yet, but I do appreciate all of you more than I can express, and I never would have imagined that my little blog would get to 500 followers.

However, there is something else I wanted to tell you all today...if you follow me on Twitter, you know I've been having problems with my individual post pages being really screwed up - as in, the posts aren't there and the sidebar is on the wrong side of the page. Since I know most (if not all) of you can't comment because of this problem, I put two polls in the sidebar. One is asking if you can see my individual posts, and the other is asking if I should keep posting until the issue is resolved. PLEASE VOTE! -->


I really don't know what to do. I've tried posting in Blogger's help forums, and I haven't gotten any helpful response. If any of you have suggestions, please shoot me an email at never.unpolished@gmail.com or contact me on Twitter at @zarapetkovic. This is really frustrating, and I really, really want to hear your opinions. Should I keep going? Can you read my posts in some form? *sigh* Stupid Blogger. Anyway, help me out and vote in the poll!

Learned and Lacquered: Solvents

Note: I edited my previous post to include a list of other film forming agents.

If you don't want to read the whole post, scroll to the end for a few essential points (in bold).

Today I'll be talking about a very important kind of nail polish ingredient. There are solvents in every nail polish and top/base coat I own - without solvents, you wouldn't have nail polish as we know it today. Solvents are also the essential ingredients in nail polish remover and nail polish thinner.

from Orchid Chemie

So what are solvents? Solvents are substances that are used to dissolve other substances. In the case of nail polish, solvents are also helpful not only for that reason, but because they (including butyl acetate, pictured above in drums) evaporate quickly, which naturally means that the polish dries more quickly as well. The two most common solvents in nail polish are ethyl acetate and butyl acetate - if you grab the nearest bottle of polish and look at the ingredient label (you may have to squint), you are almost guaranteed to find at least one of those two solvents.

Solvents are also used to remove nail polish. When you remove nail polish, there is no chemical change that occurs - a solvent is merely being applied so that it returns to liquid form. If the solvents in nail polish never evaporated, nail polish would remain in liquid form. Similarly, if there was some way to take nail polish off of a cotton pad (without taking cotton bits along), you could conceivably put it back in the bottle, add a little ethyl or butyl acetate, and go on like that forever.

So...do you think you can guess how nail polish thinner works? That's right - solvents! As polish is exposed to the air, the solvents gradually disappear because of their fast-drying quality. To get it back to its original consistency, you therefore must add more solvents. Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner contains ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, and heptane, all three of which are solvents. When you add a few drops to a goopy bottle of polish, the solvents further dissolve the polish, making it become thinner. However, as many of you know, adding acetone, which is also a solvent, to a bottle of polish to thin it won't work - the polish will become thick and gooey. I'm not sure why that is, but I've heard it from many different people.

Here's a list of solvents found in nail polish, nail polish remover, and nail polish thinner: Benzyl Alcohol, Butyl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Diacetone Alcohol, Dibutyl Phthalate, Ethyl Acetate, Heptane, Isobutyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, n-Butyl Acetate, n-Butyl Alcohol, Butyl Alcohol, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Propyl Acetate, SD Alcohol 40-B/Alcohol Denat., Toluene, Trimethyl Hydroxypentyl Isobutyrate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil

And finally, here's your recap:

• Solvents are substances used to dissolve other substances.
• The two most common solvents in nail polish are ethyl acetate and butyl acetate.
• Solvents are essential to nail polish remover and nail polish thinner.

I hope you enjoyed today's "lesson," and are looking forward to next week's!

GOSH Yellow Doll

Before I say anything else, here's some self-promotion. More Nail Polish is having a franken contest, which is now open for voting, and I'd love it if you went and voted for me (or someone else if you like them better)! I'm #4, Dinosaur Egg, and you can vote here: http://morenailpolish.blogspot.com/2011/06/frankenpolish-contest-voting-open.html

I got Yellow Doll in a giveaway by Annie of Polish This!, but it was quite a while before it got to me. Annie tried to send it twice through the Finnish post, and they refused to send it. She let me know that she wasn't able to send the package, apologized profusely, and I thought that was that. Then, last week, I got an email saying she'd been to Estonia (which is just south of Finland) and had sent the package from there. A couple days later, there it was on my doorstep! I appreciate her effort more than I can really express. The first polish I tried from the package was GOSH Yellow Doll. Voilà:

outdoors, shade

 outdoors, sunlight

 indoors, artificial light

This polish looks very different in different lights, and the three pictures I took are indicative of that. Most of the time it looks like a brighter version of the color in the first photo. I used four coats here, though the last coat probably wasn't really necessary - I just added it for safety. :) It applies nicely and has a green tinge that varies greatly depending on the lighting. Sometimes, in fact, it looks more like a yellow-tinged green than a green-tinged yellow. However, I absolutely adore it in all lighting, and it's definitely my favorite yellow. I know most of you probably can't get your hands on GOSH, but for those of you who can, definitely get this color!

P.S. If you're reading this on the individual post page, lucky you! I'm having an issue where I can't see the individual posts when I click on the titles from the home page of my blog, and I know quite a few people are having the same problem. I'm hoping Blogger will resolve the issue soon... :(

Cult Nails Let Me Fly

Cult Nails Let Me Fly is the second polish I tried from Cult Nails. It's a medium teal blue with silvery shimmer. It has a good consistency, applies like a dream, and barely needs two coats for opacity. Its soft finish and opacity remind me of Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H, but there are no further similarities between the two. In these pictures, I used two coats of Let Me Fly with Insta-Dri top coat.

 outdoors, sunlight

 outdoors, shade

indoors, artificial light

*sigh* Isn't it pretty? I love this kind of soft, silky finish, and I really wish there were more polishes that had it. It's not microglitter, it's not glass-flecks, it's not a typical shimmer...what is it? Is there a name for this finish, or is it just "the really cool shimmer that hardly anyone ever makes"?

While I love this on its own, I think it'd be a really good base for layering - since it dries fast and is almost opaque in one coat, you'd be able to pile the layers on in less time than with a polish that dries more slowly and takes three coats. Plus, the shimmer would be really nice underneath the layers. Maybe I'll use it with my IceSlicks...

Cult Nails Captivated

By now, most of you have probably heard of Cult Nails, the nail polish company started by Maria, the blogger at R3 Daily. The brand's second collection came out this spring, and as soon as I saw the first swatches of Captivated, I knew I had to have it. Captivated has a sheer coral base with lots of fiery glitter. It's best suited for layering, but first I wanted to try it on its own. This is four coats with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

 outdoors, cloudy

outdoors, cloudy

I wish I could've taken pictures of Captivated in the sunlight, but the sun has been very fickle for the past couple of days. As far as the formula, Captivated was a bit thick, but easy to apply, and I didn't have trouble controlling the brush. I thought the cylindrical bottle might be a little difficult to handle, but I didn't have any problems. The only thing that bothered me is that after my full manicure, I could already see that the line of polish had gone down. I guess I might have to get a backup bottle! 

After wearing Captivated on its own for most of the day, I started wondering what it would look like with crackle on top. I tried it Sally Hansen Cherry Smash on my thumbnail, but it's so sheer and close to Captivated's color that it didn't look very distinctive. Instead, I decided to use Sally Hansen Antiqued Gold, and I really like the result.

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

 outdoors, cloudy

outdoors, artificial light

As you saw if you read Tuesday's haul post, I also purchased Let Me Fly, Iconic, and Living Water, and I'm trying Let Me Fly next. Actually, I'm applying it as I write this post, and it's really lovely so far.

You can purchase Cult Nails polishes here for $10 each. It's more than I normally pay for nail polish, but I definitely think they're worth it. As a huge bookworm, I feel it's the equivalent of paying a little more for a book at a local indie bookshop rather than buying it cheap at one of the big block stores - but in this case, you can't get the product anywhere else!

P.S. Sorry for the greater-than-usual amount of pictures in this post. I was too captivated (ha, ha) to leave any out!

China Glaze Crackle Metals

THE HOTTEST METALS GET CRACKLED

China Glaze Introduces Six New Crackle Glaze Polishes in Sparkling Metallics for Summer 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (June 2011):  Set your summer style to “sizzle” with China Glaze’s new Crackle Glaze Metals collection.  The pioneer in crackle technology, China Glaze takes the beauty phenomenon to the next level with this second-generation polish that pairs the edgy innovation of crackle with the elegant beauty of metals.  The China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals collection features six sparkling metallic colors including:

·        Tarnished Gold: Warm, honeyed hue

·        Platinum Pieces: Shimmering silver

·        Haute Metal: Pale pink

·        Cracked Medallion: Bold bronze

·        Latticed Lilac: Soft lavender

·        Oxidized Aqua: Deep aquamarine blue

Create dramatically different looks with just one sweep of China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals.  Layer over different base colors to create bold styles.  Use a lighter coat to create a fine crackle, a thicker coat for a deep shatter effect.  As versatile and edgy as China Glaze’s biggest celebrity fans (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Kelly Osbourne, to name a few), Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals is sure to be this summer’s hottest beauty trend!

The China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals collection will be available as open stock colors and 12 piece counter display with a unique Crackle Glaze screen and including an instructional hang tag.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks,  Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

OPI Steady as She Rose + Layering

Happy June, happy hump day, and happy Pink Wednesday! Today I have not only a  Pink Wednesday pink for you, but some layering, as well. This was my first time using Steady as She Rose, and I was very pleased with the formula, application, and opacity - I used two coats here and couldn't see any VNL, even under the extremely bright light of my desk lamp.

indoors, artificial light

Steady as She Rose is a dusty pink that pulls a bit grey and a bit purple on me, though not as much as it appears to in that picture. I would've taken one outside to see if it photographed better in sunlight or shade, but I honestly didn't think to (where was my brain?) until after I took it off. Oops. But before I took it off, I added glitter! I used one coat of China Glaze White Cap, two coats of Ulta After Party (a silver and rose glitter), one coat of Sephora by OPI Traffic Stopper Copper, and a coat of Essie Matte About You.

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

I like the combination a lot, though I think the warmth of the copper glitter sucked all the rosy tones out of Steady as She Rose, because by the time I finished the layering, it hardly looked pink at all. Do you think Regina would still approve, or would she ban me from their table? ;)