Mad About Nails: Sun-Kissed Nails

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! 

I was in the mood to wear a juicy summer orange this week. Summer is hot, especially in August, and I wanted my nails to scream sunshine!

Here's how they came out:

I forgot to take a picture the other day when I filmed, so I did this indoors this morning against a window. 

Sorry for the lighting! 

I'm glad I didn't remove my polish yet! I'm planning to re-paint them this weekend after hitting up ULTA for some of the new fall polishes (I plan to swatch colors on bare nails and see how they look!)

Here's a video of the nails in (not so bright) sunlight:


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!

What I used:

I started with three coats of Nciole by OPI in "Fresh-Squeezed." The orange layered to a beautiful opaque hue, but didn't have the same shimmer it did in the bottle. I decided to add a holographic glitter top coat, Zoya in "Chloe." 

For my accent nail, I featured a foil orange with gold flecking, JulieG/Jesse's Girl in "Beach Bonfire." I used a top coat on one of the foil nails, but not the other, and was amazed to see you really couldn't see a difference in the texture and shine!

What I love:

"Chloe" is one of my all-time favorite top coats for effects. It shimmers divinely and is made of so many different colors. It will look different against a nude or a black, or anything in between! By pairing it with "Sun-Kissed," it brought out the golden flecks of sunlight I was looking for! I love this effect so much, and just bought Zoya's new effects glitter "Mosheen," which they debuted this summer at Miami Fashion Week with Aqua Di Lara and sold as an exclusive limited-edition set. I look forward to using it since I always love "Chloe" so much!

Get "Mosheen" while supplies last...if it's even still available!
I'm not sure...the shipping was free, though!
Aside from "Mosheen," you also get "Ginessa" and "Zuza."
"Zuza" is a favorite summer color of mine, and I'll be wearing it as soon
as I take off all the orange!

I'm also a fan of "Beach Bonfire." I've been looking for it since the May/June issue of Nail It! Magazine arrived at my house and it was featured. It's sold exclusively online and at Rite-Aid and none of the Rite-Aids around here EVER had it. I finally caved in and ordered it off the website, which meant buying more polish than I intended to... Because, really...I could pay $8 shipping for the two colors I wanted or put the $8 towards two more polishes, add one more, and get free shipping. So I wound up with five polishes when I wanted two... *sighs* At least they were cheap...? And of course, this week, I checked out a Rite Aid with a Grand Opening Sale and they HAD "Beach Bonfire." Go figure!

The wait was worth it, though. The foil is great, and a lot like an older JulieG/Jesse's Girl color, "Pink Tiara" (Which I picked up blind for free shipping). I really like the foils from this brand. They look really sharp and have an interesting texture! "Beach Bonfire" is more of a fall color, though, so I won't do another manicure with it until later this year! The gold has darker tones too it, not brighter sun-kissed ones.

What I wish could be better:

The formula for "Fresh-Squeezed" wasn't great. I don't know if that's because the polish is a couple years old and getting watery, or just not great to begin with. It took me three coats to get a nice opacity going, and even so, if you look closely, you can see the outline of my nail underneath it all. The shimmer in the bottle also doesn't appear on the nail to a noticeable degree, which made me sad...but "Chloe" made that part better!

Unless you looked at them closely, or while they were lying side-by-side, indoors, you couldn't necessarily tell that my accent nail was different from everything else, even though the two colors aren't that much alike at all! I wish that had stood out a little more!

Overall, this is a fresh, fun summer color set, though!

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