Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Black Tie and a quick pic of a stamping mani!

Hi guys! I'm still feeling under the weather, so this post may not be as wordy as usual. However, it's time to post some pics of my nubbins, even if they are growing rather well and aren't quite as nubbin-y as they were last week. Thank you Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, for actually working!

Today I have Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Black Tie for you. I have been lemming this polish since it came out, but out here in NM, we're literally the last to get anything new. Seriously, we just now managed to get Pure Ice Crackle. Pretty behind, eh? Anyway, hubs managed to snatch this little baby up for me, and I had been dying to wear it. As you all know, I'm pretty sick, but last night I managed to sit up and paint my nails. They had been naked since NYE (I had just started a mani when my lungs seized up - kind of had to abandon my mani in favor of breathing. Was actually close to calling an ambulance, but thankfully the hospital is fairly close and I made it there in time), and I just had to do something with them. I wanted something beautiful that I could wear alone, but still had all the flashiness that I adore, so I chose Black Tie.

Black Tie is actually a stunning duochrome polish, which is something I wasn't expecting from this line. It is almost impossible to capture it on camera though, which is frustrating since the deep charcoal base with flashes of bright turquoise and purple is an amazing combo - this is one of those polishes that you just have to experience for yourself. I did manage to capture the flecks of color for you guys, but my camera wasn't able to catch the duochrome shift in the lightbox, and since I'm sick as a dog still, going out into the cold to grab some pics isn't an option at the moment.

I apologize for the cuticle oil and gnawed on index finger. I reverted to nibbling on that finger while in the ER, hospitals freak me out. There's also a little dog hair, since Marleigh thought picture time was "gnaw on the light box" time. :)

Even without being able to see the duochrome flash, this polishis gorgeous. But with it, it really transforms into an amazing polish. It tends to lean teal most of the time, especially in shade, with the purple flashing in higher light conditions. I'm already going to hunt for a backup bottle of this beauty.  Formula was actually pretty impressive, despite the fact that my hands are ultra shaky due to having to ingest high amounts of Albuterol every 4 hours. It was very close to opaque in 1 coat, but 2 coats really brings out the colors. I did have some issues with bubbling, but that could also be my base coat.  Dry time was a bit high, but nothing a coat of SV can't cure!

I also decided to toss in a pic of my final mani of 2011. This is Essie School of Hard Rocks stamped with one of my Mash plates and Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Silver Sweep. I foresee alot of stamping manis while I'm growing out my nubbins, since my nails are actually small enough to use the Mash plates without having to double stamp! School of Hard Rocks is one of my favorite colors as well, a beautiful dusty teal with olive undertones, it's one of my favorite cool toned polishes. I really dig it with some stamping as well!