OPI Shatter The Scales

Some people are tired of the shatter/ crackle/ textured trend, but I still rock it! I really like how it turns out different every time, the antique feel it can give to a mani, and seeing how different brands react. This time I wore OPI "Shatter The Scales" and it is my first OPI crackle polish. I love the color on it's own and wanted to emphasize it, so I just applied it right over my OPI Ridge Filling base coat.

The only shot I got of this was on my cell phone.

I found the OPI trickier to work with than the China Glaze and Sally Hansen crackles. I think the secret to this one is to apply it in thinner coats. I also plan to try it with a nude or sheer pink base instead of just the actual base coat to see if that helps too.

We're still working on getting the yard looking better and as a result my claws are looking worse! I don't think I'll have time to do my false tips before I leave for my trip. Time to research which nail goodies can be brought in which bags!

Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

OPI Metallic 4 Life

This is OPI "Metallic 4 Life" from the recent collaboration OPI did with Nicki Minaj. I have no idea who she is, but I liked the colors of the collection. I thought I had dupes of most of them already but my heart was still a little sad about the nasty black with silver glitter that I got from Hot Topic ages ago so I got this one. I am not saddened by M4L in the least! In fact, I like it much more than I expected. The glitter is really jam-packed into this one! It is all silver in a variety of sizes and not too chunky for my liking. The black base is of a somewhat jelly consistency and is sheer on the first coat but nearly completely opaque with the second coat.

My pose was already in full sun, but the flash went off regardless. My skin is washed out but the color of the polish is still accurate. I decided to bring out the macro lens to play and got some decent shots of the glitter. Please, click on the picture and treat yourself to seeing all this glittery bountifulness in larger than life mode! I love macro!

 Here is a bottle shot. This was taken with no flash and indirect sunlight.

I have been wanting to do a trial run of DIY false tips because I want to have length when I go to see my brother get re-married on the 4th of July. This weekend though, we are going to be very busy with weeding in the yard and washing the dog so it will have to wait. When I can get around to them, I will share! I might even be lucky enough to have someone offer to get me a salon mani, although the thought of it makes me kind of nervous.

Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

Revlon "Royal" and Color Club "Limelight"

On 8 June I put on Revlon "Royal" which is a bright, squishy, royal blue. The first coat was pretty streaky for me but when I shook up the bottle some more and let the bubbles settle out it applied better for the second coat. The pigmentation seems to need a little help to disperse evenly but it is such a lovely shade and it's worth the little bit of extra effort!

Next was a neon. Color Club "Limelight" made my camera freak out! I'm not sure if it was the pure brightness of it, or because I accidentally put on my old lens for the pictures, but my Rebel couldn't seem to focus correctly. Next time I'll try manual mode. Like most neons, "Limelight" dried matte. It also was a little bit  thin and streaky but worked out well as I built up coats. I used 2 coats over OPI Ridge Filler and topped with Poshe quick dry top coat which is my usual routine these days.

Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From 5 June- Zoya "Yummy" and "Kara"

These two colors I've worn before, but a very long time ago. I decided I was in the mood for some bright colors again so Zoya "Yummy" got put on my tips and Zoya "Kara" got put on my toes.

I first wore these in 2008. "Kara" was recieved in a swap. The makers describe it as a "Bright, clean orangey-coral with a hint of pink in a pigmented creme base. A cheerful and flattering shade for any skin tone, great for summer." Perfect description, in my opinion, and I certainly can see myself keeping this on my little piggies for quite a long time!

I bought "Yummy" on my own, when the "Candy" collection was originally released. Again, Zoya is spot-on with their description of the shade by saying "Bright, cheerful light robin's egg blue in a milky creme finish. A sweet sky-blue that pops on both deep and pale skin tones."

That's all for now, stay tuned for more fun colors!
Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From the Claw-Set: May 2012

Yesterday we took my Precious to the airport for his business trip, and in the evening it was the Kitten's softball practice, so, another busy day but thankfully not as crazy as the weekend was! Here is what I did with my claws in May...

I started off with my franken "Dove".

Then it was Zoya "Juno".

Followed by OPI "Nantucket Mist".

And finished up with a tribute to the crest of Dinger, mascot of the Colorado Rockies.

The base color is Orly "Charged Up" and the dots are Orly "Lemonade", Zoya "Yummy", OPI "Don't Be Koi With Me", Revlon "Gumdrop", Revlon "White On White", and my franken "Forest".

We are all done peeking into the Claw-Set for now! Next will be catching up with the manis of June. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you soon...

 Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From the Claw-Set: April 2012

Well, hello there, Monday! You sure popped up quick! What a busy weekend it was! Yesterday I completed my first bike race, most of Saturday was spend enjoying baseball with my Precious and our Kitten, and Friday I picked up my pre-registeration packet for my race but it was nearly an hours drive away so that ate up the whole afternoon and most of the evening too. Yay traffic! :p

So if you were waiting with baited breath for the April claws, my apologies, and wait no more!

I started off the month with OPI "Pink-Ing of You" on my tips and China Glaze "For Audrey" on my toes.

Next it was Orly "Charged Up" on my tips.

I then felt like another pale shade so I wore my favorite neutral, OPI "Dulce de Leche", and pardon the mess. For some reason my Poshe quick dry top coat did a really strange shrinking job on this mani. *insert very puzzled expression here*

Lastly, I tried out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in "Fly With Me". Do you think they could have thought of any possible longer name?!

You see that "Lasts Up To 10 Days" on there? Yeah, for me, these things only lasted maybe two days. =( Apparently I didn't press the strips down hard enough around the edges and they started lifting up after one day. I pressed them down again and put on some top coat to try sealing them down better but to no avail. I have another box that I'm going to try, when my claws even out their length again. They keep breaking.

And that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed seeing these colors, and that you'll come back soon!

 Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From The Claw-Set: March 2012

Hello again my lovelies! Now I present you with not the Ides of March, but the Claws of March! Another slow month for coloring the claws. I only did it three times.

First I put on OPI "Catherine the Grape" From the Russian Collection of 2007. In the bottle it seems to lean more purple and when on the nail, burgundy tones come out more. I think that OPI did a really great job of matching the name with the color this time. It really does remind me of a grape on the vine and as in a glass for wine (YUM YUM)!

Next I put on Nicole by OPI "Green Up Your Act!" again. I saw the Rescue Beauty Lounge release of the Fan Collection and Halcyon really caught my eye. I hoped I'd be able to recreate it on my own so I put on the NOPI and queried my wise beauties over at the Makeup Alley Nail Board for suggestions on how to recreate this pretty little thing.

In the end I decided to try adding Pure Ice "First Love" and while it turned out pretty, it wasn't an exact replica of the RBL polish. I liked the multi-chrome effect so much that I kept it on for a good two or three days which feels like a really long time for me! Here's a couple shots to show the different color shifts it made.

Stay tuned for the Claw-Set installments of April and May and then the real fun will start up again!
Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From the Claw-Set: Feb 2012

February was a pretty slow nail month. I did a total of four mani's the whole month. My first two mani's turned out so horrid that I will not show you the pictures I took of them.

The first one was an unlabeled black creme with silver micro-glitter from Hot Topic. It was thick and clumpy. The lid is ultra tiny, like something off a model paint jar and it was very hard to hold. I ended up taking the polish and pouring it into a new bottle with some nail polish thinner in attempts to salvage it because I like the black with silver color scheme.

My next polish was Wet n Wild "Black Creme," which I've featured here before. I didn't bother to clean up, and took only one picture of it just for prosperity's sake I guess.

Valentine's Day and my wedding anniversary are a week apart so I celebrated those with essie "Wrapped In Rubies". I wish the gold micro-shimmer showed up on the nail like it did in the bottle. Perhaps a thin coat of Orly "Sugar" on top would give the same effect?

My last for February was Zoya "Tama" and oh, how I love my Zoya! The formula is thin but easy to work with and they make such pretty colors! Tama is a bright glowing cool-toned pink with lots of shimmer.

Soon I will be bringing you the Claws of March!
Happy Scratches!
carakitty   >^. .^<

From the Claw-Set: January 2012

Hello my lovelies! I apologize for my absence. I went back to school for a quarter and was really trying to succeed this time. Unfortunately, I've learned that my school just isn't compatible with the way my brain learns, and what life throws at me in general. So, I won't be going back to that school but I haven't given up on getting a Veterinary Technician degree and certification. It's just on hold for a little while, again.

I haven't been posting, but still took pictures of nearly all the mani's I've done in the mean time. So the next few posts will be featuring these mani's from my "Claw-Set", which is much more fun than simply calling them "Archives", right?

Here's January! First, I made another Frankenpolish. I actually dreamed this up for my dear friend M, who is my official local coffee shop and nail stuff haul buddy. The last time we went out, we stopped into Ross and saw some interesting Cosmetic Art polishes. She wondered how they'd look together and I promised I'd play with them when I got the chance. This is what I came up with:

The dusty greyed lilac and flakies are the Cosmetics Arts polishes and I put in some Revlon "Facets of Fuchsia" as well. I need to play with this some more. I think it needs to be brighter and have more purple to live up to it's "Twilight Sparkle" name I gave it.

Next I did Rimmel "Blue Bird" and I really wish they'd bring back these exact polishes. I love the bottle shape, size of brush, the formula, drying time, geeze almost everything about this line!

Then I did China Glaze "Ruby Pumps" which is one of the greatest reds out there! It has a nice squishy cherry red jelly base and ruby red glitter which glistens in the most jewel like way. Check out that bottle too. It's so cute and little and tiny and it just makes me want to squeal! It comes in a full size too which I will get my hands on, eventually.

The last of January was Rimmel "Zietgiest" which is probably my most favorite multi-chrome of all time. It flashes purple, bronze, golden-green, and fuchsia. It's impossible to get all of it's awesomeness in one shot, so here's a trio of images attempting to show off the best of it.

I hope you enjoyed the January claws! I have a lot more free time on my hands now, so stay tuned for the upcoming installments of the rest of my early 2012 claws and the current ones to come!

Happy Scratches,
carakitty >^. .^<