Lightning Bolt

Inspired by the stormy weather yesterday, I decided to do a lightning bolt manicure. I used Sally Hansen Celeb City for the silver and Kelier blue for the crackle. The blue is a bit darker and more opaque than in the photo; I think my camera picked up on the shine of the silver and decided it didn't care about paying attention to anything else. Funnily enough, the sun is out today and I could've taken better pictures if I'd kept it on, but I put on my next set of Fashionista Nails since it was supposed to be rainy all day again. I should probably learn not to rely on the weathermen.

indoors, artificial light

I really need to learn how to make my cuticle gaps all the same length. Good grief, that is sad. Anyway, that's all for me today...I'm not in a rambly mood today, for once. Until next time!

Kelier Nail Crack Polish in Blue

It sure took me a loooong time to post this after my review of the pink Kelier crackle, didn't it? I have no excuse...but here it is now! It didn't take me nearly as long to apply this as it did the pink, because I had already figured out how best to apply this kind of crackle polish. This is one coat over two coats of Icing Mint 2 Be.

indoors, artificial light

Like the pink crackle, this takes a while to crack and looks a bit streaky if you don't apply it well (like me). However, I still prefer this crackle pattern to that of OPI Black Shatter and the China Glaze crackles. You can buy these crackle polishes from Born Pretty for $3.67 a bottle, and international shipping is free, which is a huge plus for me. 

I was lucky enough to find an old white crackle (Ghost) from Cover Girl yesterday at the Dollar Tree (among other things), and it looks like it'll have the same kind of crackle as these, so I'm anxious to see how it applies compared to the Kelier crackles.

*This product was provided to me for an honest review.

Kelier Nail Crack Polish in "Red"

I received this as part of my review package from Born Pretty, which made me super excited - I was in love with crackle polishes from the first swatch I saw, so I was thrilled to get to review some for free (I also got the blue, which I'll be showing at some point). You should know that this color is listed as red on the website, but it's pink. I don't mind, though, because I really like this color of pink. In interest of full disclosure, you should also know that it took me a few tries to figure out how best to apply this particular crackle polish. Here's what ended up working:

1) Apply base coat, then your base color if you want one. I used one coat of white polish. In case you're extending a current manicure, here's a tip: don't put the crackle on top of quick-dry top coat, even if the top coat is long dry. It will make it peel up and flake off like nobody's business. You can, however, put a coat of clear polish on top of the previous top coat and then apply the crackle on top of that. See, look what happened when I applied the crackle over AA Butter, which I'd used quick-dry top coat on. This was without me touching my nail or bumping it on anything:

2) While the base color is still slightly tacky, apply one fairly thin coat of the crackle top coat. Let it dry.
3) Apply one coat of regular top coat, NOT quick dry. The quick-dry (and believe me, I tried every quick-dry top coat I own - Rush, SH Insta-Dri, and Orly In a Snap) won't keep it from falling off, which is what it will also do if you don't apply top coat at all.
4) NOW you can apply quick-dry top coat if you want. Once there's a layer between the crackle and the quick-dry, it doesn't make it flake.

Whew! I hope my instructions are clear and not too boring...I just wanted to make sure that any of you who might buy this don't have to go through all the experimentation I did. However, I will say that my trials were totally worth it! I love this look.

indoors, artificial light

It is a little streaky, but that's partly my fault, and I actually don't mind. I think it makes it look more interesting...am I crazy? Don't answer that. :) All in all, I would definitely recommend trying the crackle top coats out. I like the pattern these make much better than the pictures I've seen of the Barry M and OPI crackle top coats. The lines in this are thinner and look more parched desert-y to me, which I really like, and I also like that they come in colors other than just black. They're cheap at $3.67 a bottle, and they have free shipping to most countries, which is a ginormous plus for me. I'm planning on getting the rest of the crackle colors (they have black, blue, pink which they call red, green, purple, watermelon, and yellow) soon.

Also, if you're still reading, I decided to keep using my bottle of Nutra Nail Strengthener until I run out, so I can give a full report after the bottle's empty. I'll start using the Ulta base coat after that.


*This product was provided to me for an honest review.