Finding that perfect mani

As I am sure many of you fellow nail enthusiasts know, there are times when no manicure is the right one. You take the time and follow an idea and it just doesn't come out like you want. You take it off and try again, but still no dice. Today was one of those days! I think it is akin to looking in your closet full of clothes and feeling like you have nothing to wear.

 It actually started last night, while I watched Quarantine 2 before bed. (The REC series was much better in my opinion.) I wanted to play with Essie "Naughty nautical". I have heard good things about this color, and since I don't do plan cremes very often I thought I would give it a try. However once I got started I did not really like it. The formula was streaky and I don't really like Essie's tiny brushes. It is fine with a topcoat luxe effect like "Shine of the times" or "Set in stones", but not for all over nail coverage. I managed to reach a full opaque nail after 4 coats... and then I was bored! I admit I am addicted to flakies and glitter. So I added Orly "Sparkling Garbage".

That was a little better but still not satisfying. I went to bed frustrated but determined to pick up the search as soon as I got a chance. Once my son went down for his first nap of the day I went to it, deciding to try out the large round glitter Kunimitsu sent me with "Lucky goldfish"

I am now aware their is a learning curve on applying loose glitter! 

Little hand!

I love the way the glitter catches the light.

The glitter itself was pretty, and I like it against Nubar "Indigo Illusion". However, my application needs a lot of work, and I plan on trying this look again in the future, with more planning and maybe some taping as well. I also had a hard time getting the glitter to lay flat against the nail. I need to pick up some Seche vite before I try this again, I think.

So I removed that look and tried again... this time going purple and glitzy. I used Essie "Sexy divide" as a base, then Essie "Stroke of brilliance" on the tips. I also put a coat of "Sparkling garbage", for some real over kill. Honestly I knew almost immediately this look was not going to work but I kept going for completion anyway, so I could at least share this blingy monster with you, dear readers.

Ugh.

fuzzy to show the holo sparkles!

Once again, out of focus to show off the rainbows!

Once again a nice idea with poor execution. At this point I felt a bit defeated and baby boy was waking up, so I slapped some nail envy on my bare nails and waited. 

At this point, as you can imagine, I was frustrated and really just wanted to do something I knew I would like. I decided to use my newest Nfu-oh, the stunning blue-green flakie monster #56.

"Under the mistletoe" is pretty.

I started with a Julie I found in clearance today, "Under the mistletoe". Christmas in June, anyone? Llarowe did not restock A england "Dragon" today like I was hoping they would, so I decided this was a close enough green in the meantime. I actually like this polish, very rich and only took 3 coats to look opaque. 

On top of that I did 2 layers of Nfu-oh #56. It is a little goopy and I worked to make sure it covered the entire nail, including edges. It immediatly made my nails glow. It catches the light in a truly stunning way that can hardly be captured in pictures. I am mesmerized! Ranging in colors from vibrant green to vivid blue, this jelly is packed full of flakies that create an amazing depth. The only thing I do not like about Nfu-oh is that the polish goes way too fast... After just the one manicure I can tell a difference in amount. 

Beautiful color and glow!

                               

Makes me think of an ideal ocean!

A glimpse of the blue.

With flash - It does not look anything like this in person, but that is a beautiful green!

And this is what I have settled on!