{Mad About Nails} Mermaid Jelly Sandwich

Check out the Splash into Summer Main Pages at 
A Backwards Story, and Mermaid Vision Books 
where you can access the schedule!
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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! 

You can't have a mermaid week without having sparkly mermaid nails to match.

Today, I'll show you the gorgeous polish I've been sporting all week. 
Next week, we'll explore all the splashy polishes the mermaids have put out for humans while our backs were turned!

I keep seeing all these gorgeous images on Pinterest for glitter jelly sandwich designs.
I have a couple of jelly polishes from Zoya, and I have a lot of glitter polish.
I decided to try out a sandwich this week because the colors matched up and I wanted to see what the hype was about.

In person, it is so pretty. I wish we'd had a really sunny day this week besides that first day when I applied it so I could show you the way it sparkled like brilliant seaglass. This video and the photos are much duller than this combo can actually be! 

Here's a video of the materials used

(Or keep reading below!):

YouTube Link

These two are POWERHOUSES for
long-lasting manicures!  One lasted
1.5 weeks, the other for 2!!!

I started off with a basecoat of ORLY "Bonder."  Many of the professional nail studios use this as a basecoat when doing nails for their clients.  It's a rubberized coat that helps polish adhere to the nail.  It stinks, but it's great!

I finished everything with a top coat of Revlon's "Quick Dry Top Coat."  I'd heard it was a rival for the legendary Seche Vite, but with fewer harsh chemicals.  It also doesn't go bad in the bottle or shrink when used.  I was intrigued, and so far, this stuff is FABULOUS.

Together, this combo has made my nails last, on average, 1.5 to 2 weeks. They're both awesome!

For my base color:

I started out with two sheer coats of Zoya "Frida." This is still pretty sheer. "Frida" looks very dark in the bottle, but it's a very sheer jelly. It turns more opaque at three and four coats. This created a great foundation, though, and I didn't need to use a lot of glitter for opacity!

How do I explain a jelly polish:? Check out this photo from nail blogger Lucy's Stash:

From Lucy's Stash!

See how it's sheer, but then it builds and gets dark? THAT'S jelly polish. You can see how the opacity differs and makes glitter gain depth!

For my design:

Next, I added one coat of Sally Hansen in "Mermaid's Tale" for the eye-popping glitter.
Once it had dried a little, I added one more coat of Zoya "Frida."

This created the illusion of depth. Since "Frida" is so sheer, and the glitter didn't hit everywhere, there are a lot of layers and levels of opacity as you flex and look at the nails. It's beautiful!

Because of the green of "Frida" paired with the blue tones of "Mermaid's Tale," the polish looks blue or green depending on how bright/dark it is inside/outside. I was most impressed beneath bright sunlight when it glimmered like seaglass!

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