Manicure Monday: Morning Light/Evening Gradient

I love putting glitter over gradients! My Manicure Monday project this week was to take Morning Light from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and use it in a fun new way that really shows how versatile it is. I made a gradient with Essie’s Fiji and No More Film, then put on two coats of Morning Light and one coat of Color Club’s clear coat.

IMG_94542

IMG_94592

I swatched Morning Light way back in January, and I really loved the way it looked over dark polish, but I didn’t want to just wear it over black again, that would be too easy. I went through all of my polishes and after a few misses, chose purple and pink cremes. I wanted a light pink for glitter visibility, but I wanted a darker one to bring out the shimmer. I thought I did pretty well.

IMG_94682

IMG_94742

IMG_94802

I must admit that I’m not too happy with the gradient. I ran out of eyeshadow sponges the other week, so I used one of the hexagonal sponges that came in a China Glaze ombre set. I didn’t really like this method. I didn’t have as much control over the blending and the building of color. I also got polish all over the sides of my fingers and it took forever to clean it up. I will probably not use this method again.

IMG_94982

I’m pleased with this look, though. The green shimmer in Morning Light totally transforms No More Film from a deep plum to something lighter and duskier. Also, I noticed something this week that I didn’t when I swatched it: the green shimmer shifts to red! At certain angles, the green disappears and a warm red shimmer takes its place. So cool!

Swatch Saturday: Black Bird’s Only You

Here’s a polish I’ve wanted to review for a long time. This is a polish I got in a Reddit gift exchange exclusively for makeup and nail polish. My gifter was in Germany, and she sent me a a lot of good German cosmetics. Now I’ve developed a taste for it and I can’t get it in America. Surely this is what hell is like. It’s probably no surprise that I’ve wanted to review this one for a long time. Here it is, finally, in three coats, topped with three coats of Seche Vite.

100_3037

100_3046

100_3051

Black Bird’s Only You is a cool blue creme. I think it’s what Neptune would have looked like if it had just a bit more pigment. The formula is a little on the thin side, but still easy to use and apply. The color goes on evenly and covers well; I used three coats, but I could have gotten away with two. It has a shiny finish when dry, but I’m worried about the wear. This may just have to do with my nails not being long enough to wrap the tips, but I didn’t expect to see worn-down tips this soon after putting it on. Maybe it’s top coat shrinkage. I don’t know. I’m kind of embarrassed to post them like this, but not embarrassed enough to redo them.

100_3054

100_3055

100_3060

Verdict: If you can get your hands on it, I suggest you try it out. I really want more from this brand. The formula is lovely, the coverage is nice, and I adore this bottle design. If you’re German and you like me, please help me get a few more bottles.

Also, for funsies, here it is with accent nails. The glitter is a Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer one-off prototype with white shapes and blue to purple shift. Oh mama.

100_3064