Lustrous Lacquer: Sheer

Showing posts with label Sheer. Show all posts

Friday, May 8, 2015

OPI - It's Totally Forth Worth It

Today I have another quick post to share with you. This time around I've gone mainstream with OPI's It's Totally Fort Worth It from the 2011 Texas Collection.

OPI-Texas-Collection-2011-It's-totally-fort-worth-it

It's Totally Fort Worth It is a silver frost with purple micro-shimmer. Shown here is 3 coats plus top coat. As you can see even after 3 coats this is still a very sheer polish. Id have to say that this would work better as a topper, than wearing it all alone. Unless you're going for a subtle hint of color look.

The application was pretty easy with even coverage for all 3 coats even though this polish is a little on the runny side. Staying true to the frost finish there were a few minor brush strokes which thankfully seemed to almost disappear once my top coat was added. There's nothing that can ruin a polish quite like those annoying brushstrokes.

The micro shimmer is slightly more visible than shown here in my photos which I think saves this polish from being a boring pearl like color and more like mother of pearl. I can see this looking great over a darker color so that shimmer can really shine.

What are your thoughts on polishes like this? Wear them alone or layer over a darker shade? Let me know in the comments. As always thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Lustrous Lacquer 6:00 AM Tutorial

Lightning Nials and a tutorial

*Nothing to Disclose*

Today I have a Lightning Nails tutorial for you inspired by Robin Moses. To be honest, mine look more like stained glass than lightning to me though. I decided to give this look a try after watching this video. I thought it was a great way to use some of my pretty sheer polishes that get no love. This post is quite picture heavy but I hope you enjoy it.

The products I used for this are, base and top coat, Finger Paints Black Expressionism, Sinful Colors Fire Fly, Sally Hansen Black, and Blue and Byte, OPI Totally Tangerine and a Gold Striping polish.

Start off by applying your base coat, once that's dry apply your black polish over the entire nail and allow to dry.

Finger-Paints-Black-Rxpressionism-Lightning-Nails-Tutorial

With your yellow polish add 2-3 spots on the nail. I used Sinful Colors Fire Fly. You don't want to be very controlled with this. The more randomness you can get the better.

Next go in and add 2 spots with your blue polish. I used Sally Hansen Black and Blue from the Complete Salon Manicure series. Again you want this to be random, but also touching the edges of your yellow spots. This particular blue was very sheer so I ended up adding 2 layers to my spots.

Continue by adding in a few spots with your orange/copper color. I used OPI totally Tangerine which ended up having a golden tint to it when layered over the black.

Going in with your Pink polish, fill in any remaining black space on your nail. I used Sally Hansen Byte from the HD series of polishes. This is where I wished my nails were a little longer so I could have more room for the pink.

Lastly, you want to take your striping polish and go over the natural lines where the polishes meet. This is where having an unsteady hand can be your best friend. I found that the less "structured" the lines look the better this manicure looks. Also, you want your lines to be thin, mine got a little heavy-handed for my taste.

Wait a few minutes for everything to dry and finish off with your favorite top coat. I used a generous coat of Seche Vite.

The best part about this manicure is how it sparkles in the light, and gives off a different look depending on the angle. Do you agree with me that mine look like a stained glass window rather than lightning?

Here's a quick collage of each step in case you want to see everything together. If you attempt this look Id love for you to share it with me. Please post your pictures on my Face Book page.

So there you have it, an easy way to do some nail art with all those sheer polishes that you don't know what to do with. Id love to hear your thoughts on this look. Or any feedback you have about this tutorial. Id like to do more in the future and want them to be as helpful as possible. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Lustrous Lacquer 6:00 AM What's in a finish

What's in a finish? - Sheer

*Nothing to Disclose*

Today I'd like to take a look at the sheer finish for nail polish. What used to be reserved only for french manicures has quickly been adopted into the world of nail art. In fact, OPI currently has a new collection coming out consisting of only sheer polishes. But what is a sheer finish?

A sheer finish nail polish has a half transparent finish to it. In other words, you will still have a very visible nail line even after 2 coats. As shown below with China Glaze Heaven.

China Glaze Heaven

Sally Hansen Whisper

Usually, you would find sheer polishes in neutral or soft pink shades, but many companies have expanded into other colors as well.

Loreal Tweet Me

We are also starting to see some shimmer or sparkle added to the sheer finish as shown in Loreal's Tweet Me. In my opinion, I think this year the sheer finish will be making a come back, and will no longer be reserved for the typical French Manicure.

How do you feel about a sheer finish nail polish? Do you have any favorites? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!