May 4, 2012

Diamonds and Pearls


It's Glitter Me Up Friday again!  Already!  I can't believe I haven't posted since last Friday.  I had so many things to post about this week, so much nail mail :)  One of the parcels I received was a whole bunch (8) of Picture Polishes I ordered.  I love Picture Polish.  Last count was 23 beautiful Picture Polish bottles (and 10 Ozotics) stashed away in my Helmer.  So when I saw that they were discontinuing some colours I had to jump in and grab them before they went.  It helps that they are all discounted :)  I actually got most of them (7).  I jumped the gun a bit and ordered before they were all up so I missed out on Shamrock.  Kicking myself for that because greens are my favourite.  I think I saw Rouge up there briefly too but it's not there now so I either imagined it or it sold out quickly.  I'm really pleased with all of the colours I got.  I haven't had a chance to wear them all yet but I did play with them all on a nail wheel, layering, stamping and all those fun things I do to test out new polishes without having to acetone my nails.  Good thing I had 100 new wheels arrive this week too :)
These polishes are all beautifully smooth, opaque and streak free.  I've never met a Picture Polish I didn't like, I love the bottles, brushes and polish :) The big surprise was Berry Nice.  It dries to a soft matte finish.  A velvety smooth matte.  It's soft and subtle, not at all rough and dry.  I can't stop touching it, it's so soft, and I don't even like mattes but I love this.
So for Glitter Me Up Friday I chose one of my new Picture Polishes and one I've had for a while.  This is 1 coat of Glitter Ball over 3 coats of Simply Silk (with a top coat between 2 and 3 because I had to go out).
in the sun

It's getting cold in the mornings here so I wanted an icy Wintery look and after wearing my husbands brown franken last week I needed a palate cleanser.   Simply Silk is one of the discontinued colours you can grab now for just $6.  It is soft silky perfection with a finish that shines just like a pearl in shimmery silver white.  Really quite stunning.  I can't stop looking at it.  In bright light it's shiny but in low light it seems to have a light all of it's own, it really glows!  How can something so colourless be so eye catching, and how do they make it glow like that, and why is it being discontinued?
in the shade
 Simply Silk is one of those polishes that will show brush strokes, it's just that type of finish.  I found thin coats with even brush strokes worked best.  The finished result looked great but I knew the brush strokes would stand out with the macro lens.  Not a problem though because I'd planned my glitter layer.  I've found that a top coat can make a big difference to these types of polishes  It can have a minimising effect on the visible brush strokes, and it doesn't have to be a clear top coat, special effect top coats like the CND Shimmers or a clear based glitter work just as well.  In this case I used Picture Polish Glitter Ball, a clear with small and fine, silver holographic glitter.  I used one coat for a subtle (work safe) sparkle but Glitter Ball is thin enough that you can easily build up more layers for extra bling without bulk.   I love Glitter Ball, it's that prefect finishing touch and I love that it is sparse enough that it enhances, not hides, the colour underneath.  It can look amazing over bright or dark colours or soft and pretty over pastels.
in the sun

Look at the pretty glitter.  I love the way it looks like it's sinking into the polish.  It's not at all, the Simply Silk was completely dry when I applied Glitter Ball, so the sinking is just an illusion but it looks so squishy.

I finished up with a coat of Seche Vite for perfectly smooth shiny nails.  I am really impressed that with base coat (Cult Nails Get It On), 3 coats of Simply Silk, 1 coat of Glitter Ball and 2 top coats (one between layer 2 and 3 of Simply Silk), this doesn't feel at all thick on my nails.  So nice to have sparkly glitter nails without bulk and this combination looks simple and elegant, well to me anyway :)
in the shade

Picture Polish is available from http://www.picturepolish.com.au and the customer service rocks! They do ship internationally but are also available from International Network Members, have a look here http://www.picturepolish.com.au/information.php?info_id=11 to see if there is one near you. 
So if you're a Picture Polish fan don't miss out on the Goodbye Shades sale and if you haven't tried them yet you'd be crazy not to start here

and if you'd like to see the rest of the Glitter Me Up Friday players check them out here...

Mam Glam from GlamOnTheCheap
and of course
Shaina from SG Nails who started Glitter Me Up Friday

I had a new photographers assistant today.  Well actually he wasn't much help, he just followed me around waiting for attention.  This is Crichton, (named from Farscape) my parents cat who is staying here while my parents are in Sweden.  He was originally my cat, we adopted him as a rescue when he was 12 weeks old (8 years ago), but when I had my first child Crichton went to live with my parents.   He is a timid cat and doesn't like children, especially screaming babies.
It's nice having him 'home' and he is being surprisingly good with the kids, even letting them brush him, but he is a big sook and keeps a low profile until the kids are in bed and he can relax a bit.  He follows me everywhere and keeps flopping on the ground waiting for a belly rub.  I think he was quite fed up with me taking pictures because he wasn't getting any pats.  This is his 'hurry up and pat me already' look.

He is happiest when cradled on his back, my husband used to hold him like this as a kitten but Crichton is a bit more of an armful now.

6 comments:

  1. Gorgeous combo, I didn't know about Simply Silk and couldn't find any swatches...might just have to get it now. Thanks

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  2. Nice combo! Reminds me of the moon with craters lol :)

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    Replies
    1. BTW I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award!
      http://passionforpolish.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/one-lovely-blog-award.html

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  3. Nice macro! I agree with ^-^ And what a cute cat. I love gray kitties.

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  4. Such a pretty glitter! (And cute cat!)

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