my first franken

I had two bottles of Lincoln Park At Midnight, which is a shimmery version of Lincoln Park After Dark, which is the greatest OPI ever. I also had just a little It's Sheer Luck left. So, I mixed those with a mostly empty Seche Vite dry-fast top coat. And threw in a little Wireless for some suspended glitter. Then I threw in some Color Club French Tip to lighten it up. And then, I had a random mini Sally Girl shimmery that seemed pretty close to LPAM. I give you Kitchen Sink (since I basically just threw whatever in there). I probably should've shaken further and let it set overnight. But I just mixed it up and slapped it on, because I liked it. It is pretty close to Catherine the Grape from the 2007 Russia collection, but with silver undertones and glitters. I need to give it to a girlfriend, and get a real world review of it. My polishes tend to stay on my fingernails for just a day, so unless it's an egregious offender (I'm looking at you, Chanel), it doesn't get a chance to chip.

So, here's my ingredients:


And what it looks like in the bottle:


and what it looks like on the toes:

China Glaze Pink Voltage and Turned Up Turquoise

I watched Earth Girls Are Easy, which is an over-the-top 80s movie with terrible dialogue and awesomely awful costumes and the manicures are a minor plot point. I wanted something very 80s, this is what I came up with. It's like a nightclub on Westheimer in Houston in 1987. Thumbs up.

China Glaze Liquid Vinyl and Color Club French Tip

I also wore black & white stripey tights to my yoga class to match this look. Basic, but not boring.

Chanel L.A. Sunrise and China Glaze Entourage

Bright and cheerful. I wish I didn't hate the formula of Chanel, because this is such a pretty yellow, and it's hard for me to wear yellows. I am pale, but I have olive undertones, due to my Mediterranean heritage. Yellows tend to make me look like a corpse, so I only own two yellow pieces of clothing (a sports bra and some tights). I like yellow (it's so cheerful), but it just doesn't work on me.

But, this shade somehow does. This shade just sort of glows. It's too bad that even with the base coat and top coat, it chips right away.

BonBon scented polishes Strawberry Kiss and OPI by Nicole Blue Lace

A post-Memorial Day, pre-Independence Day patriotic mani. Meant to be shimmery red and blue, I was told by a chef at work that it was more pink and teal than red and blue. What do boys know from pretty colors? I think my white Konad special polish is running out. It was extremely thick and quite difficult to use. It ended up smeared on a couple of tips.

ORLY It's Not Me, It's You and ManGlaze Death Tar with a shiny topcoat

I really like the ManGlaze. It's a good formula, and I really love the richness, so even though it's a matte polish, it's not lacking for depth. It reminds me a lot of Noir Ceramic from late 2006 Chanel when you put the topcoat over it. I really think this pink looks weird, but looking back, I tend to use it a lot. With painting my nails so often, I find myself gravitating to certain colors over and over. This pink is one of them.

puppy pedicure!

I found a polish for Lucy, my mutt! She's a very patient girl, and she means a lot to me, unnecessary anthropomorphizing notwithstanding. I found out that a few years ago, OPI did a collection of fast-drying polishes. Well, Lu should have a mani, too. I sought one out. A silver called Yuppy Puppy. Well, actually, OPI calls it Paw-lish. I love it. By the time we got to the last toenail, the first one was dry. Lucy was very patient, and seemed to enjoy the attention. That might also have to do with giving her treats, so she wouldn't be freaked out. Also, if she had balked, I would have stopped. But she was a very good girl, and look how cute it came out:



I did mine silver and pink to match: