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     Hello and welcome back to another blog post. I don't know about you but I am excited to share today's look with everyone. For the last year or so I have been watching youtube videos and seeing pictures posted online of all these gorgeous manicures using the holographic pigment powders. But 99% of them were done using gel polish. I have only worn gel polish once in my life and the removal process was the stuff of nightmares. Granted I attempted it myself and probably did it wrong but it was enough to scare me away from using it again. Well, I no longer have to look longingly at these manicures with envy because I was finally able to get the powders to work for me using regular polish! 

     I know there are a ton of tips out there on how to do this and you're probably wondering what took me so long to join the holo powder party. Trust me I was eager to get there long before this, I just struggled with it and took a step back for a bit. I tried using Orly Bonder on my nails with so-so results. I think I let it dry too long before applying the powder so I will be attempting it again. I also tried using my Sally Hansen miracle gel top coat to see if that would work and it failed miserably. However, it did work great with the multi-chrome flakes I received from Beauty Big Bang.  

     So what was the miracle product that helped me finally find success? G-Force X from Super Chic Lacquer.  I was able to get such great result so easily with this product and would recommend it to anyone who wants to use the holo powders with regular polish. Sadly there was no sun the day I did this manicure and I had to take photos in my light box. This resulted in a duller holo flash than what I actually saw on my nails. Thankfully while I was editing photos at my desk I noticed enough natural light coming in the window to get one shot that worked. So I've added it as a bonus shot at the end of the post. 

    Now on to how I created this look. I started out by painting my nails with Hit the Bottle As Black as Night. I know it's a stamping polish but I wanted to make sure that the color I stamped with completely matched my base color.

     Once that dried I added a layer of G-Force X to one nail and let it dry for about  30 seconds. And stamped my design using UR Beautiful plate 11. After this step, you want to make sure you wait long enough for the stamped image to dry before burnishing in your powder. I got a little excited and didn't allow enough time between steps and the faded image on my middle and pinky fingers are the end results.

      The holo powder I used is from Born Pretty Store item #33256. Use code LAUNX31 to get 10% off your order if decide to pick some up. The macro shot above it before adding a top coat. And the next photo is after adding a layer of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat.

     I still have the holo flash but the power no longer looks smooth. So any recommendations you have for a better top coat to use are greatly appreciated. And now for that bonus shot I mentioned earlier.

     Some of you might be wondering why I did the manicure the way I did. Why didn't I apply the holo powder before stamping? I'm sure that would have been an easier process. But I wanted to see if the powder would stick to my entire nail or only the places without my stamped image. I have an idea in mind that involves stamping and a few colored powders, almost like the lead-light technique. My hope is to test it out this weekend and if it works I'll have it up on the blog soon. Make sure to come back and check it out! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

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   Good morning everyone, looks who's back to blogging after an unscheduled blogging break. I guess going back to work after having the summer off was more hectic than I was expecting! It seems like lately, I'm about 3 hours short in my day to get everything done. But I'm hoping that now 2 weeks into our new schedule things have calmed down enough and I can get back to posting regularly. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Anyway, I decided that my first post back needed to be a good one and the Chameleon Flake Powder from Beauty Big Bang is just the ticket! 

     The Chameleon Flake Powders are available in 12 color options. The one I'm sharing today is J2443-4a on the website, a fierce combination of yellow, orange, green and red that reminds me of the changing leaves of fall. 

      I finished everything off with another layer of Orly Bonder and then a layer of Pure Ice Girl on the Run top coat. 

     Now to the naked eye, the flakes looked much smoother than my camera shows but to be honest they looked the best before I layered anything over them. And obviously, I got a little overzealous when taking my photos and smudged my pinky nail. 

     While I like the way this turned out I knew that I could do better and get a smoother finish. I've heard that people have had success using the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat and the mirror pigments and I wondered if it would work with these.

     I started out the same way with Pure Ice Black Rage as my base color and applied the Miracle Gel top coat. I waited a few minutes for it to dry and applied the flakes with a wide nail art brush instead of the eyeshadow applicator. I also used the Miracle Gel top coat over the flakes to see if the finish would be smoother.

      This resulted in less coverage with the flakes but a more pleasing look in my opinion. What do you think? 

     I'm not sure if it was the top coat or the way it was applied that led to less coverage but if I had to guess I would say it was the top coat. If I had to guess I would say it was the top coat. When I used the Orly Bonder the flakes seemed to stick to my nail instantly rather than having to be buffed in like when I used the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat.

     The Chameleon Flake Powders can be purchased at Beautybigbang.com for $2.99 each but you can save 10% by using my code LUSTROUS at checkout. I know after playing around with these I'll be picking up a few other colors. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!