Criss Cross Striping Tape Mani

TGIF, my lovelies! I'm so ready for this week to be over. Aren't all of you?

Today's post is going to be a bit short. It is my first foray into striping tape and I was pretty happy with the end result. I think with a little more practice, I'll be ready for a how-to post!

I used Nfu Oh 61 as a base with Rimmel Black Satin as the top coat. I like Black Satin because it dries with a rubbery texture that is a nice contrast to the linear holo of Nfu Oh.

I know there's a little jaggedness to some of the lines, stupid macro! They're not this noticeable in person.

Is this something you would try? Would you want to see a tutorial?

Dupe or No Dupe: Layla Ceramic Effect 52 vs. Nfu Oh 51

Hello, lovelies! I'm so happy to report that finals have officially ended for me and I have a life once more. My last exam was on Wednesday and I'm currently typing from the Queen Mum's apartment in Florida, which is a nice change of pace from the cold, windy, and overall dreary New Jersey weather.

I picked up the Layla Ceramic Effect 52 a week ago after I spotted it at Ulta. It was kind of buried in a corner with the false eyelashes, oddly enough, and I really just stumbled onto it.

I've heard around the internet that CE 52 is a dupe for Nfu Oh 51, so it's time to play...

DUPE OR NO DUPE!

Here are the bottles: Layla Ceramic Effect 52 on the left, Nfu Oh 51 on the right.

Upon a closer inspection, you can see both have a wisteria purple base. Also, the flakies seem to be in the same color spectrum of cranberry red with lime and bright yellow shifts.

CE 52 is on the index and ring fingers, with Nfu Oh 51 on the middle and pinky. With one coat over Cult Nails Flushed, you can see there's a distinct difference. The Layla polish seems to have much finer flakes that can almost be mistaken for microshimmer. They're also kind of sparse. Nfu Oh 51, on the other hand, has much more visible, dense flakes.

With two coats, the distribution of flakes seems a little more dense for CE 52. But still, there is a noticeable difference in flake size and density.

Here's a close up of Nfu Oh 51 (left) and Layla Ceramic Effects 52 (right).

So what's the verdict? Definitely, no dupe. While they are similar for sure, CE 52 isn't a dense and doesn't flash different colors in quite the same way as its Nfu Oh counterpart. They're certainly different enough to allow you to own both, with equally good formulas.

Ultimately, I still prefer Nfu Oh 51.

What do you think?

Nfu Oh 52 and butter LONDON Bluey

It's football Sunday... and I've already changed my mani since yesterday! Well, sort of.

On Saturday, I reviewed butter London Bluey and wasn't blown away by the color. However, not inclined to take off the polish and do it over (and let's be honest, with a research report due Monday morning at 9am), I reached for an effects top coat.

And grabbed Nfu-Oh 52!

Nfu-Oh 52 is a blue jelly base with emerald flakies. They're really multi-dimensional and change based on the shade they're layered over.

I feel like the ocean is literally on my nails.

Are you still aboard the flakie train?
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Polished Professionals: Weekday to Weekend

The weekend is nearly upon us, a three-day weekend at that, and I don't know about you, but I'm SO ready! So here's a little weekend-themed post as part of the Polished Professionals series. If you missed last week's post, you can check out my Beauty Survival Kit!

With Labor Day weekend officially here, I'm sure that many of you, like myself, have plans for a party or barbecue. Weekend plans can often throw a little bit of a wrench into things when it comes to your nails.

Maybe you've just gotten a manicure at the start of the week and it's tough to part with your perfect polish job. Or maybe you have gel polish in a neutral color that's just not going to cut it for a party. You could have last minute plans. Or perhaps, as this is often the case for me, you're too lazy/tired to take off your polish, put on new, and wait for it to dry. After all, it's a long process!

Today, I'm going to show you a few weekday to weekend looks that can be accomplished in just fifteen-twenty minutes. And most of that is just drying time. You could really even do this on the way to the party in the car... not that I've done it before or anything...

The best part about the looks to follow is that they're very simple and easy to achieve. All you need is two kinds of top coat: your normal quick-dry brand (I use either Seche Vite or HK Girl) and a special effects top coat.

Special Effects top coats are those that change the look of your polish in some way. They can be your ordinary glitter/sparkle, a flake-filled fiesta, or even a holo top coat. It's totally up to you.

So, let's get started with some transformations!

Hump Day Holo: Space Girl Nails

Hi again, everyone! Sorry for the long delay... been getting all of my stuff together for school and spent a few days in Atlantic City. My mom was the big winner, but I didn't lose too bad at all!

Today, I have a little mani that I have dubbed Space Girl Nails because it reminds me of outer space!

 

I used Zoya Suri (which you'll see swatched on its own later in the week), topped with Nfu Oh 61 and a little stripe of Zoya Mira. I think Mira adds that little extra pop, don't you?

 

Because it has been pretty rainy here for a few days, I couldn't get any sunlight swatches. Yeah, this was INDOORS. And I love it!

So what do you think of the Space Girl Nails? And remember to enter the Olympics Nail Art contest before time runs out this weekend!

Until next time!

Danielle

Swatch and Review: Hump Day Holo - Nfu Oh 61

Happy Hump Day, everyone!

I'm bringing to you my VERY first Nfu Oh with those scandalous bottles!

It's Nfu Oh 61!

Here is Nfu Oh 61, a silver linear holo polish. When it goes on the nail, it looks pretty flat and just like chunky metal. But then, as it dried... something magical happened. And BOOM! It looked like it does above INDOORS!

And here is Nfu Oh 61 in natural light. It was gorgeous both indoors and outdoors. I had to put a top coat on over the polish, due to its tendency to crack and disintegrate with the slightest brush up against anything.

Truthfully, it's lack of durability was the major drawback for the polish. Though, I'd probably wear it again. Certainly, layering another polish over it didn't hurt.

So what do you think of Nfu Oh 61 for Hump Day?
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