Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Party Popper Nails

Remember when I was obsessed with tracking down the limited edition Face of Australia Glitterati nail polishes a couple of years ago? Probably not. But the fixation was real. With the help of friends, I managed to find and buy all 8 polishes in the collection. After the pursuit was over though, I immediately lost interest (gotta love human nature). Recently, I was drawn again to Boogie Wonderland as I remembered it'd been a long time since I last wore it. It's a milky, multicoloured confection packed with "small orange, blue, purple and magenta hex glitter with blue and green curls, iridescent bars and huge holographic hexagonal pieces in a whitish blue base". And yes, I had to quote myself just then, since I evidently was much more observant and descriptive with nail polish back in 2013. I don't think I could have come up with that now if you asked me.









I decided to paint a base of Nails Inc. Porchester Square since Boogie Wonderland is a pale blueish-white on its own. That means it's perfect for transforming any base colour to a lighter, more pastel version of itself. In the pictures, my nails look more blue, but in real life it's more of a pale, ever so slightly purplish mushroom/taupe/grey shade.

What I love about Boogie Wonderland, apart from the fact it looks like someone unleashed a party popper on your nails, is that it's a brilliant layering polish. There's a translucency to it which means it won't completely overpower any colour you paint underneath, but the formula remains very smooth, not too thick or thin, and a breeze to apply evenly. I needed only 2 coats to achieve the glitter density pictured, which I thought was pretty impressive given how much is going on. I was able to get a good mix of everything without having to try too hard to achieve a balanced spread.

As always, I painted a coat of my beloved Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat to seal everything in and speed up the drying process. In the past few days, I've received multiple compliments and people asking me if my nails are shellac. I tend to get bored of nail polish easily (it's not uncommon for me to get rid of a nail polish only a day after painstakingly applying it the previous night), but this combination has been going strong for a week now with no signs of imminent disinterest.

18 comments:

  1. Ahh I just love this FOA polish and from memory, I bought it, because it looked so stunning on you. On its own I think it took 3-4 coats to show full intensity, but its definitely gorgeous and easy to apply. Layering over a base is a good idea ;) How do you remove your glitter polishes ?

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    1. Through gritted teeth and tested patience :p Or I just layer them on super thickly, wait a few days for wear and tear, and then peel them off my nail. Not recommended as best nail care practice, but when it works it's remarkably efficient.

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    2. Ha Ha, I do that too and almost wait for it to happen as it is definitely the easiest method ;)

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  2. WONDERFUL manicure sweetie... I love the particles in that nail polish.. so fun and festive :)
    xx

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  3. Party popper it is! Quite genius!
    Although I learned using a creme base does not really ease the pain of removal with glitter polishes, I still do it for opacity. I haven't really thought about using a neutral shade like this. I want to try it soon for myself. :)

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  4. Wow, this is beautiful--playful but still subtle. I've been rather boring with my nail polish recently (I can't remember the last time I wore a non-creme shade), but you've inspired me to do some glitter layering! I think I'm so reluctant to do it because I'll occasionally come up with an unexpectedly stomach-turning color combination that's a nightmare to remove. Pairing Essie Ladylike with Maybelline Nighttime Noise was a huge mistake...

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    1. Totally get what you mean - sometimes glitter combinations I test out are simply ghastly. And then the annoying part is how difficult it is to get rid of! So not worth the effort all round :p

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  5. Oh this is so whimsical! I love how you went back in time and quoted yourself! Don't worry, we all can probably remember something that we described perfectly once and it should remain like that I think! I think of alice in wonderland type tea parties when I see your nails done like that!

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  6. So cute yet effective <3

    zaras-bowsandpearls.blogspot.co.uk

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  7. I usually find FOA nail polishes a little streaky, I'm not sure about this one. Maybe they've improved their products since then. But your nails look super cute!

    www.lacy-rose.blogspot.com

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  8. I totally remember your original post and how badly you wanted this range - I got my hands on the whole range not long after you did if memory serves, with thanks to a fellow generous blogger that I adore. Love the party popper aspect of this, I need to start to have fun with polishes like this again

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  9. Love how Porchester Square looks as the base for this! I was never particularly drawn to these glitters but they sure do look nice!

    Ash / thebeautycollection.com.au

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  10. This one looks so pretty!
    I usually stay away of glitter because it's so hard to remove afterwards but this one looks like a really nice alternative! :3
    Take care*

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  11. Dude :*( I'm so mad at myself for not picking up more than one of these. To get this kind of effect i'd have to use 2-3 diff polishes. Kudos

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  12. Dude :*( I'm so mad at myself for not picking up more than one of these. To get this kind of effect i'd have to use 2-3 diff polishes. Kudos

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  13. this is so cute! :) Reminds me of some of the sephora formula x topcoats!

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