Jangle All the Way

Purplish-greys are one of my favourite nail polish colours to wear (see Sportsgirl Storm, Sportsgirl Smoke), so Essie Bangle Jangle (770) from the Winter 2011 Collection seemed an ideal addition to my collection. I was tossing up between Bangle Jangle and Cocktail Bling, which appeared in swatches to be slightly darker and less purple, but thought Cocktail Bling might be too grey-leaning and desaturated for my liking (didn't want another Sally Hansen Wet Cement). When I first tried on Bangle Jangle, it seemed very similar to Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish polish in Lively Lilac (170), so having both was a bit of a letdown. I thought I'd jazz things up by attempting a glitter gradient with a complementary colour, the coppery Face of Australia Studio 54 from their Glitterati Collection (a 100% dupe for Sportsgirl Rose Gold — seriously, it's the same polish).

I really liked the combination of Essie Bangle Jangle and Face of Australia Studio 54. Somehow, the flourish of glitter manages to rescue an otherwise ordinary creme. Studio 54 would've been blinding and excessive on its own, but paired with a hazy, dusty purplish grey, it adds just the right amount of pizzazz. The glitter "gradient" was surprisingly easy to do, with one layer of Studio 54 painted to around the middle of the nail, and a second layer more concentrated around the base of the nail only. I attempted this kind of mani once before and was pleased with the results, so I enjoyed revisiting it again. From experience, a glitter like Face of Australia Studio 54 (with a mix of small hexagonal glitter and ordinary glitter dots in a clear base) works better for a gradient effect than a more dense glitter made up of larger glitter pieces of the same size.