Mad About Nails: The Cherry Blossom Edition

I've had quite a few people comment on my nails in the past ask what I was using or wish I'd done a close-up so they could see better, etc., etc., and had a realization: Why not do a feature on nail polish? It's not book-related (Unless you're wearing the new HUNGER GAMES-inspired line from China Glaze, but I'm not even going into how wrong that is...), but it's fun. Plus, if I do this feature, I'll be more likely to re-paint my nails this week and less likely to let them chip their way to the bare bones (which would mean that I could see my nails...and if I see them, I want to bite them!).

Welcome back to another edition of Mad About Nails! 

Don't you just love spring?
It's my favorite season!

One of my favorite images of spring is the cherry blossom.  
When I lived in Japan, my favorite spring past-time was going to the park
and sitting beneath the sakura and writing in peace
or going to hanami (cherry blossoming viewing parties).

When The Polishaholic debuted China Glaze's new Glitz Bitz 'n Pieces Collection this past January, I knew I HAD to have "Scattered & Tattered."  The mix of big and small hexagonal reddish pink glitter reminded me of cherry blossoms, the dark bar glitter of tree branches!  Perhaps I was only reminded of it because she paired it with a beautiful foamy green background, and I thought of the Arizona tea bottle, I don't know.  But it inspired be.  I bought "Scattered and Tattered" in a heartbeat and found a bottle of "Ocean Love Potion" from Sephora by OPI lying around.  I've been waiting patiently since the beginning of the year to rock this beautiful manicure!

I started off with Sally Hansen Nail Nutrition Green Tea + Olive Growth as my base coat, because I'm STILL trying to get my nails to a healthy state again.  It's finally working, too!  This week, seven of my nails are nice and long, and I'm hoping that the remaining three are finally at the beginning of their "new life" cycle.

For colors, I am using Sephora by OPI's "Ocean Love Potion" and China Glaze's "Scattered and Tattered."  "Scattered and Tattered" is Limited Edition, but I saw a bunch of bottles from the collection at both ULTA and Sally's recently, so check your local stores and see what's still around!  I'm not sure whether or not the Sephora was a limited edition summer color or if it's from the permanent collection and still being sold.  There are a lot of minty greens this time of year, and if I hadn't had this lying around, I would have bought a cheap one because I don't wear this all that often.

"Ocean Love Potion" and "Scattered and Tattered"

My top coat was actually OPI RapiDry.  I bought the
Revlon I'm holding while sporting these nails and
wanted to show the bottle to someone...and was lazy
and kept this image for the post!
(But I have to say, I am IN LOVE with the Revlon atm!)

I put on two coats of "Ocean Love Potion," and may have done a third if any remaining unevenness wouldn't have been hidden by glitter, but it looked decent at two...and I was in a hurry to have dry nails before work, so.  Next, I did one coat of "Scattered and Tattered" and would have done a second if time had permitted.  I wish I'd had the time to play with manipulating the glitter and get more sideways bar glitter so it looked a little more like tree branches and flowers.  Another time!

I finished everything up with OPI RapiDry for a fast-drying top coat.

I received quite a few compliments for this color combination, though I always had to explain the cherry blossom inspiration when asked!

I love this, and wish I could do it again before summer hits, but I'm on a glitter ban until late May because it requires harsher removal techniques.  Grow, nails, GROW!

Want to see my nails up close and personal and hear more about them?
Check out today's Mad About Nails Vlog!

YouTube Link

 Is anyone else obsessed with nail polish? What are you wearing right now?