Mani Monday!

Good morning, it's been a while since I've done a mani monday hasn't it? I decided to do a water marble on my ring fingers (I forgot to do the thumbs, haha). The petals on my left hand didn't turn out as neatly as my right one, but I'm still happy with it! I used OPI's My Vampire is Buff, A-taupe the Space Needle and Color Club's Macaroon Swoon. The photos show it with top coat. (Please excuse the messy work.)

OPI- My Boyfriend Scales Walls

Eek! I owe you guys two posts this week (I'm so sorry)! Please don't throw tomatoes at me. Today's second polish isn't anything new, but it is a lovely one! My Boyfriend Scales Walls is a very light grey creme, but it isn't so light that it can be confused for white. It's cool-toned- sometimes it looks like a pastel slate blue. The formula is great considering it's a pastel, three thin coats to become opaque!

1 coat

2 coats

OPI- My Vampire is Buff

Hello again! This polish isn't a new release, but I'm definitely happy I picked it up. My Vampire is Buff is, as the name says, a buff color. It's like a very pastel brown with a tinge of yellow in it. Wonderful nude polish! Three easy coats with minimal streaking or patchiness- application was a breeze.

1st Coat

2nd Coat

OPI - Chillin' Like A Villain

 Hello! I know I'm late on this collection, but today I have OPI's "Chillin' Like A Villain" from their Muppets Most Wanted collection. I've wanted this polish ever since it came out. Chillin' Like A Villain is a peach creme with a slight beige-ness to it. I'm in love! Unfortunately, the formula wasn't too great. It was really thin and sheer, it could almost be a jelly. It took me 4 coats to get it opaque. I have coat-by-coat photos below (please excuse my cuticles). The photos are without topcoat.

1st Coat

2nd Coat

3rd Coat

4th Coat

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OPI- Mod About You

OPI's "Mod About You" is a beautiful cool-toned, pastel pink creme. It looks great with a tan, I absolutely love it! It dries a bit darker than in the bottle and the formula's pretty thin. It was streaky and uneven so it took me 3 coats to get it opaque. The photos below show Mod About You without topcoat.

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Tutorial- Water Marble Layering

Hello! I am so excited to tell you this! I was playing around with the idea of water marbling and realized that (1) you can use the concept to create your own color without actually having to mix polishes and (2) you can use it to apply neons or any polish that has a tricky formula! I hope this is something new to you and that you enjoy!


So, for the first idea all you need is two different colored polishes and all other materials needed to do any kind of water marble (cup, water, toothpick). There are only three steps to this. First, apply the lighter color onto your nails (and make sure its even otherwise any streaks and patches will remain visible). Then, drip just one drop (or more but you'll have to be careful of the rings that appear) of your second color into the water surface and allow it to spread enough so that when you dip it'll cover your entire nail. After it has spread evenly, dip your nail (or as many finger as you can completely cover) in as you would with any other water marble mani, clean the surface with a toothpick and remove your finger. Tadaaaa! You made a new color without having to go through the trouble of mixing polishes in a separate bottle and without having to worry that you didn't mix enough of the color to paint all your nails! I personally never have any empty nail polish bottles on hand and find it hasslesome to mix it on tin foil or a palette (the polish get thick really fast and I always seem to make too much/little of the color). I like to use this method to create pastel colors by putting darker colors over white. It works to apply metallic colors (I'm thinking OPI's "Push and Shove", but I don't have it) without getting any streaks, too! Just apply the metallic like normal then add a layer or two with the water marble method.

As for number two, it's basically the same process except you're using it for a different reason/to get a different result. I've heard people talking about how neons are hard to work with because often times you need to layer them over white to make them bright and fluorescent. However, sometimes putting them over white is hard because it might get streaky or you might not completely cover the white around the cuticles. I find that if you just water marble it on, you can get an even application! (The coats/layers dry much faster too.) You can also control how dark you want your color to be- if you want it darker, just repeat and add more layers until the color is to your liking. You can use this method to create ombre nails as well! This also works with sheer polishes or jellies should you ever want to put them over white.

The possibilities are endless! I really hope that you'll give it a try, if you do I would love to see it (my instagram is @swatchingly)! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Mani Monday!

For this manicure, I just have a jelly/glitter sandwich on my ring finger and thumb with Zoya's Dove as the base color. On the accent nails I added 2 coats of OPI's Pirouette My Whistle, then a coat of OPI's My Pointe Exactly. This wasn't the best color choice for summer, but I had to limit my options to neutrals for a formal event today. The photos are with topcoat. 

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Sunlight