31 Day Challenge: Inspired by Fashion

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Here are fashion inspired nails. This manicure worked a lot better in my mind, but was executed poorly. Inspired by a dress from Jason Wu's 2011 Fall/Winter line, I think if painted well, this could have been stunning. Instead, I spent lots of time trying to fix mistakes until it got too late for me to do anything else to fix the manicure. But sometimes that is the way these things go.

Polish Stunt Double: NOT Girly Bits Eggnogoholic

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 You've heard of nail polish dupes, but that's not what this is. A polish stunt double is a polish that has some prominent features in common with a loved or lusted after nail polish, but on even the most basic examination, the two won't be confused. Think of it as really wanting a strawberry milkshake, but getting a strawberry smoothie instead. It is still good, will satisfy your craving for something fruity and creamy for a while, but you will eventually want to get your hands on that strawberry milkshake. Allow me to show you a polish that I really want and how I am curbing my craving for that nail polish.

Illamasqua Load done matte with subtle stamping

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Hello, lovelies. Do my nails look like embossed velvet? Because that was what I was going for. Let me quickly tell you about this manicure. I painted a three layer base of Illamasqua Load followed by Essie Matte about you. It took a very long time to dry (but I do usually use INM Out the Door fast drying topcoat). Load's application felt a little sticky or stringy, but I did end up with even coverage. I dinged up the polish a bit before stamping the image. I used Revlon Buttercup on Bornprettystore's m60. I then painted some of the details on my left ring finger with Sonia Kashuk Golden Ticket, Revlon ColorStay Rich Raspberry and Bare Bones. I didn't use a topcoat over the stamping or it would have eliminated the matte finish on the base polish.

I did not take this polish off after four days, but it was starting to look a little tired. Oils from my hands and lotion had eliminated a lot of the matte finish and I was left with more of a satin finish. I ended up with one chip on my left middle finger that was easily patched. I was actually very impressed with how well Illamasqua Load fared. All fingers had only the tiniest bit of tip wear and they still looked quite presentable, especially surprising with such a light colored polish and after using a matte topcoat instead of a more protective topcoat.

Do you wear matte polish? What kind of wear time do you get out of a matte topcoat?

I tried to liven this manicure up by topping it with Max Factor Fantasy Fire. I'll show you the results next week. I also plan to do a comparison between Julep and INM Out the Door fast drying topcoats. One of these topcoats already has a big lead in terms of shine, but that's a topic for later.

Check out all the manicure fun at The Nail Files-Week 17. Have a good weekend.

~Alexis