Mish Mash Challenge, Week 3 - Metallic!

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Hello Lovelies! Check it out! I managed to post before midnight!! Wahoo!!!!! I know, I know..you're all falling over in shock! ;)

Today brings us to Week 3 of the Mish Mash Challenge! Today's theme is Metallic, and boy! I had a hard time deciding what to do for this one. Normally I use metallic polish for stamping, so I decided to go in a different direction since this is a challenge after all! I think I'm supposed to step outside of my comfort zone, right?

I eventually decided on a simple ruffian manicure, using A-England Camelot as my base color and Essie No Place Like Chrome as my metallic polish. No Place Like Chrome is the silver polish from Essie's Mirror Metallics, and let me tell ya - it's a complete PITA! Beautiful though. I used french tip guides to tape off the bottom of my nail and used No Place Like Chrome over Camelot. If NPLC is finicky on her own, she's ten times more so over a highly pigmented black. I had to use 2 coats, which meant that my lines were going to be rough from the start, and you know how my OCD flares over wonky lines!  But I'll get into that  application stuff later...

Although this mani is cute, and for the most part I'm satisfied,  do wish those curved tip guides had a more pronounced curve. My ruffian falls kind of flat since they were much straighter than they appear. I think next time I'll just freehand it and call it a day!

See? The ruffian could be more pronounced, but it still looks cool, so I'll take it.

I do love No Place Like Chrome since it's shiny and very much chrome-like, however.....OMG what a PITA! The formula isn't bad at all, but application is very finicky. Lots of dragging and balding, and streaks galore. I've heard that if you use a matte topcoat over 2 coats, then another coat over that the streaks go away, but I'm way too lazy to try that with a ruffian. I've also heard sponging on the final coat works as well, but again....too lazy with this one. I'm sure I'll try those in the future, when I feel like dealing with another Chrome polish. This polish also did not like my top coat. I had to go over the silver once more after my initial coat of TC since it indented out of nowhere in several places. Even though the shiny chrome look is fabulous, it's just too much of a pest for me. Thankfully they stamp perfectly, so I do have a use for the 3 I bought.

What do you think of The Mirror Metallics? Have you had the same issues?


Don't forget to check out all my awesome polish sistah's and their Metallic manis!

An InLinkz Link-up

I'll return tomorrow with some goodness from Luscious Potion. I also have more Love, Angeling Polish, Polish TBH and Fandom Cosmetics coming your way!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber



*Product(s) Featured purchased by KLK. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information**

Nothing to Disclose

NY Mani feat. L'Oreal Project Runway in The Queen's Ambition

Hello there lovelies! So far this year has been utter crap. Yesterday I received the worst news, and to be honest I'm still kind of reeling. About 20 years ago my mother survived Lymphoma. They only disovered the cancer because she had a heart attack. A few years later, she had a second heart attack. That's alot to go through right? You would think that the Universe would give the poor woman a break. Not so much. My mom  now has Lung Cancer. I am devastated. I'm trying like hell to be strong for her, because who knows? She's a strong woman. She may very well beat this too. But it's scary, ya know? Despite our many differences, that's my mom. And I'll be the first to admit that I have times where I really want my mom, and it terrifies me to think that the forces that be keep trying to take her from us. Hasn't she suffered enough??

The only thing that took my mind off all of this last night was doing my nails. For that small amount of time that I was working on a mani, I was able to let it go. Whoever said that what we do is a waste and time and serves no purpose can bite me. :)

Anyway, Today I have my New Years Mani to share with you all. I knew that I wanted something sparkly and dark, but just couldn't decide. You know you stand in front of a closet full of clothes and swear you have nothing to wear? That's me standing in front of the 900 polishes in my stash when I'm left to my own devices and not working on my swatch pile. Then I came across The Queen's Ambition from L'Oreal's Project Runway Collection (thanks Aly, for reminding me I have this!). The Queen's Ambition is a black polish filled with silver glitters and fine silver flakes. I love black and silver together, and throw in some sparkle and I'm a happy girl! However I felt like it needed some oomph. So I grabbed Mash Plate Mash-08 and Essie No Place Like Chrome from the Mirror Metallics Collection and added some zippy stars.

I ended up really digging this mani! I've included a macro shot to show off the sparkles in The Queen's Ambition.

Isn't The Queen's Ambition a cool polish? I love that there are little flakes of silver as well as the glitter.

The Queen's Ambition was easy to work with as well. It is slightly thick and does drag a bit on the first coat, but evens out nicely with the second. It's definitely one of my top 2 from the Project Runway Collection.

What did you wear on your nails for New Years?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber