Can't Decide Between Crackle or Flaky? Do Both

After trying out 'Irish Green,' I couldn't decide if I wanted to try 'Green Ocean' as an overlay or a new China Glaze crackle.  Well, I knew the entire manicure was going to come off that night anyway.  I had a convention to work today and needed something very dull more business-friendly.

That do I do when I can't decide?  Try both...

I picked 'Lightning Bolt' from China Glaze's crackle collection and I used Sinful Color's 'Green Ocean.'  I alternated nails to check these two out.

I will confess, I had to redo the crackle nails.  When I did it the first time, I monkeyed around with the polish too much, thus, it didn't crackle.  It crapped instead.

The second attempt was OK.  I'm not in love with it.  The 'Green Ocean' was the definite winner here.

'Lightning Bolt' is a fussy polish.  Man, you have to place it right over the base color.  No fudging allowed!  You can see the base coat showing through at the cuticle and on the sides.  I didn't put a top coat on either of these polishes.  The China Glaze crackles do matte dry.  However, a shiny top coat snaps it out of the matte.

Oh, and I used two coats of the 'Ocean Green' to make it super sparkly.

Did you know you can capture Leprechauns by baiting them with shiny pennies?

They are known to be greedy and let down their guard when they see shiny pennies or coins.  Do you think I can capture one by setting out a bile of shiny nail polish?  If you can capture a Leprechaun, they have to tell you where they have their own stash of gold hidden.

Which do you like better, gold or green?  Crackle or glitter?

Time to Get Flaky

A prisoner spent years digging a tunnel out of his cell to freedom. Finally, he completed his tunnel and he jumped out. Giddy with excitement, he skipped around yelling 'I'm Free! I'm Free!' Unknown to him, he had emerged onto a playground. Upon hearing his cheers for joy a little boy replied 'So what? I'm four!'

OK, groan all you want but you can tell that joke to your grandma!

Reason for the joke: it's 3/3.

I'm still having some fun with greens for this month. Here's the next one...

Shiver me Shamrocks!  I read about this one on Noveau Cheap's blog.  When she likened it to Sally Hansen's runaway cult favorite, 'Hidden Treasure,' there was no stopping that huge lemming!  This is Sinful Color's 'Green Ocean.'  If I understand correctly, this isn't a new shade but, a re-release.  I'm happy with that because, I didn't know about it the first time around.

I couldn't wait to try this one out.  I layered it over the manicure I swatched for you, on March 1, 'Venomous' by Claire's.  All by itself, 'Venomous' was da bomb!  How dare I think I could make it 'better'...

You don't have to agree with me, but I think I did!  Ooh, now that I'm drooling looking at this, I should have done one nail with 'Hidden Treasure' to compare.  This is a flaky that I think I have to talk you into having!

I put on 2 coats but 1 would have sufficed...

'Green Ocean' loves to play in the sunlight.

Even though I did this look in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I will be revisiting 'Green Ocean' again, soon.

I did put Seche Vite on to shine it up a bit. 'Green Ocean' tends to dull out after it dries.  Don't let that stop you from getting a bottle for yourself.  Good gracious, it's only $1.99 at Walgreen's!  Interestingly enough, I got 3 bottles...for some reason...or another.  I picked up 'Irish Green,' a bright, green creme that was the second half of the Sinful Colors display.

Let me say, loud and very clear, No. Buyer's. Remorse.

Will you be getting 'Green Ocean?'  If you say no, I have to know why not!!?  :)

I Created Visions of Sugar Plums

We have enjoyed a quite, tranquil holiday weekend at home.  Just me, hubs and the two cats.
And I have got a lot of swatching done.  It wasn't work at all.  More like playing.

I wanted to try a green polish and use 'Hidden Treasure' over it, then matte it.  I think most of my readers will truly understand how these combinations will just pop into your head.  Well, at least they do for me.  In fact, some nights I fall asleep coming up with creations and then dream about them. 

So, I dug in the unswatched pile, and found Ulta's 'Jaded.'  Perfect, I wanted to try a green that wasn't from a Holiday collection.

This is frosty with some shimmer in it.  You can't see that shimmer in the photo.  It's very minuet.  Boy, the first 2 coats of this were watery.  So on the third one, I went a bit thicker to get it to be opaque.

My polishing was great, for me.  But the ugliest cuticles ever, kill the look.  I'm not got to apologize for them.  I'm going to take action about making them over. 

All my photos here are indoor lighting.  I'm right at my desk and just loved the light at the moment.

Now for the flakies.  I was going to do this all with Sally Hansen's 'Hidden Treasure.'  But as I dug in my unswatched stack, I found an Essence's 'Space Queen'.  I know they are not even close, but I wanted to see what they'd look like side by side.

'Hidden Treasure' is on thumb, middle and pinky.  'Space Queen' is on index and ring finger.  As you can see, 'Hidden Treasure' is a flakey.  'Space Queen', she's an iridescent glitter.  Both give a nice winter Holiday feel.  But I wasn't done with my creative madness.

You've heard that song by The Stones, 'Paint It Black'?  It goes, "I see a red door and I want to paint it black."  Just what in the hell does that mean???  Well, I see a pretty color and I want to paint it matte.

Mattified!  Index is 'Space Queen' and ring finger is 'Hidden Treasure.'

And here is my entire left hand alternating.  And a very BIG DRATS!  I have a tear on the outside of my thumb nail.  Grrrr!!!  Before nail blogging, I would have just chopped it off.  But, heck, my nails are so close to being uniform.  sigh

Sparkles or matte?  Hidden Treasure or Space Queen?

And, I would like to share with you, my Ultimate Favorite Christmas song: Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Canon.