2 coats over Ameican Apparel Manhattan Beach

SpaRitual Improvisation is a sheer pink base with blue/purple flecked shimmer. These types of shades are always so difficult to photograph! I don't love it on me, but it's a very pretty polish. I swatched this over a coral base because I thought it would be as sheer as some of the others in the Illuminate collection, but I think this could be worn on it own in 3 coats. The formula is nice. No complaints on that front.



A small selection of SpaRituals, including Improvisation, is now available at Ulta. I believe the retail prices is $12, and you can use coupons on these.

I'm going to see Sara Bareilles in concert today! This mani was inspired by the colors of her Blessed Unrest album.







So excited!

I have a few swatches that I either can't dedicate a full post to or are part of a collection that I've neglected to finish swatching. I figured I'd share them with you before I forget about them completely.

2 coats

Color Club Angel Kiss is part of the 2012 Halo Hues collection. It's a pretty light blue with a killer flame. Remember the holo drought? For years, companies would release weak, scattered holos, holo glitter, and even flakies and call them holographic. What a frustrating time! I'm so happy we have strong, linear holos that are easily accessible.

3 coats

Essie Secret Story is a midtone pink jelly. I randomly picked this up on clearance and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it's a jelly! Don't you love that? Secret Story's easy application was just a cherry on top.

3 coats

Here's an unnamed franken that I found while reorganizing my stash a couple months ago. I know it contains Wet n Wild Nocturnal and Cover Girl Ice Slicks Anti Freeze, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I only made a mini bottle, but I wish I'd made more. I love it!

2 coats

American Apparel Neon Red is more coral than Neon Coral is, in my opinion. I love the AA neons because they apply so well and don't require white undies.

4 coats

Verity Deep Violet is a purple jelly that should be in everyone's collection. It's gorgeous! However, I don't think my bottle is as pigmented as others because I see all these posts with 2 coats and no VNL, and I'm like...what? 4 coats later, my Deep Violet mani still showed VNL. I don't mind, though. It's perfect for jelly sandwiches.

2 coats

Illamasqua Charisma, how I love thee. It's a gorgeous cranberry raspberry hybrid with a flash of gold. It also has red shimmer sprinkled through it. I know people say Essie Swing Velvet is a dupe, and I even bought that one to satisfy my lemming for Charisma. It didn't quench my thirst, though, and I ended up buying Charisma anyway. I wouldn't say they're dead on dupes, but they're definitely similar. I prefer Charisma.





That's all, folks!

Finger Paints I Spy-Der, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Are You Hoppy?, Owlin' at the Moon, Fishin' for Fun

Finger Paints Wild About Spring  is pretty much full of win. There are actually six colors in this collection, but the one I left out was an afterthought, meaning I initially passed on it. I'll show you why in a bit.



Let's start with the glitters. I dabbed all of them on, which is much more effective than trying to put these on in coats. With a little patience, you can get all the shards to lie flat on your nail.

Over 2 coats China Glaze Aquadelic

Finger Paints Owlin' at the Moon is a light green shard glitter. The color reminds me of the fake grass that people use to stuff Easter baskets.

Over 2 coats of American Apparel L'Esprit

Finger Paints Are You Hoppy is a lavender shard glitter.

Over 2 coats of Finger Paints Gimme Some Sugar

Finger Paints Fishin' for Fun is a light pink and fuchsia shard glitter. The light pink is kind of salmon-ish.

3 coats

Finger Paints I-Spy-Der is a warm pink crelly with iridescent shimmer. The shimmer is similar to CND Sapphire Sparkle.

2 coats

Finger Paints Itsy Bitsy Spider (what's up with the spiders?!) is a cool purple loaded with the same shimmer. Definitely my favorite of the bunch. Go to your local Sally and pick this up! It's even prettier in person.

2 coats

So, this is the afterthought. Finger Paints Hoppy Go Lucky is a gorgeous teal shade, but I wasn't initially sure I wanted to deal with a possibly frosty polish. I decided later that yes, it is indeed worth the extra effort.

1 extra coat sponged on

The formula overall was pretty decent. The glitters are thick, but if you dab them on, it's not a problem. I didn't try thinning them. The shimmers are a little thick, but I had no major issues applying them.





Finger Paints Wilde About Spring collection retails for $5.29 ($4.49 for BCC holders) and is available at Sally Beauty.

I thought I'd start off the year with a Purge Wars post, since my one and only New Year's resolution is to take purging my stash more seriously. Hopefully it sticks because I'm running out of storage space!



Today, I've pitted different flakies with colored bases against each other. I also wanted to see if I could franken-layer to achieve a similar look.



First into the arena were Layla Ceramic Effect 52 and Nfu.Oh 51

Layla Ceramic Effect 52, Nfu.Oh 51

5 coats 51, 3 coats 52

The base colors of 51 and 52 are more similar than I anticipated. The biggest difference would be the opacity. I'd probably choose 52 to wear alone more often than 51 because I don't often have time for a 5 coat mani. I had no trouble applying either of these.



I used American Apparel African Violet as a base, and then layered Essie Shine of the Times and Milani Purple Neon for my franken layer. The purples I chose were too warm, and the flakie was too dense, but I do think it's possible to get close to 51 or 52 with a few corrections and maybe a coat of 230 or something similar. I think my next attempt will be more successful.



Battle Casualty: I'm keeping both of these because...just look at the pretty! Look at it!



Next up are Urban Outfitters Mystic and Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

Urban Outfitters Mystic, Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

3 coats Mystic, 3 coats Ray of Light

Mystic has larger flakes and its base more vibrant than Ray of Light. Mystic also looks a touch darker than Ray of Light, which is probably because it lacks that slightly dusty quality that Ray of Light has. The formula on both was a bit thick, so I thinned them both. No problems after than.



My franken-layer is a Revlon Royal base with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and American Apparel Moonlight Beach layered. I think Hidden Treasure was a better choice than Shine of the Times because it's less dense. I think I'd go for a darker jelly to achieve a more accurate look. Maybe Deborah Lippmann Rehab.



Battle casualty: Urban Outfitters Mystic. There's something missing here. Maybe some depth? Not sure, but I don't mind parting with it.





Is it bad that I prefer my franken layers over all of them, though? Maybe I'm just stroking me ego. :)



That's it for this round of Purge Wars. Stayed tuned for Battle of the Flakies 2:

They're more similar than you think

1 coat Ozotic Pro 505 over 1 coat American Apparel Hassid

Anyone familiar with Ozotic multichromes knows this is just the tip of the iceberg. Due to time constraints, this is the only picture I snapped before I took this mani off. I'll have complete swatches and a review soon!