New mani - an old Special FX blue with green shimmer, completely obliterated by Enchanted Polish Castle on a Cloud:
With flash
No flash
I actually did this yesterday, but it was a hell of a job! First I had to chip off Oceanic Forces (it didn't look that glittery when I wore it!!!). Then I did a royal blue mani - and I had forgotten how much I loved the colour (it's been lurking in the stash for way too long since its last outing). The whole point though was to test Castle on a Cloud so I could decide whether to get Queen of the Castle (skipped it on a blog sale last week as I was unsure).
I thought this would be fairly transparent so I went for it - and as soon as I opened the bottle, I sensed trouble ahead! I tried to do a thin coat, and was horrified to see how opaque it was going on - but with bald patches as I had tried to wipe most of it off the brush. It didn't go on smoothly, and when I tried to go back to the bits I'd missed which frankly looked horrible, I found the polish was practically drying on the brush and wouldn't do what I wanted. So the only option was to gloop it all on, and try to wipe the excess off with the brush - normally an easy enough technique. Normally...
This stuff has the texture of wallpaper paste, and when I was wiping to the end, it wasn't coming away with the brush, but leaving jagged mini stalactites hanging off the nail. Plus it seemed to be melting the blue polish underneath, which was joining it as it dangled! So I had to try to wipe it off on a hard surface (useful lighter to hand!). I don't know if the blue was just not quite dry, or if this stuff was having a reaction with it, but OMG I was shocked by the mess I was making. And it only got worse when I started painting with my left hand!
Weirdly, I really like the results! As this is a top coat, I didn't bother with a second one - plus it already felt really thick. And it's just on the verge of bubbling, but it looks OK.
It's stunning in every light though, really holo in strong light, and really duochrome in all other conditions (I see pink and purple, and I don't know if the blue is coming from the undies or the topcoat), and it's a wow in sun.
I'm looking forward to trying it over something paler in the future, which would hopefully solve the bald patches problem - and I suspect it might even work all by itself if I wanted a delicate look. But it was the most horrendous texture I've ever worked with, and I still can't decide whether to buy Queen or not!
Sorry, got a bit rambly there! I was vexed with it!!! I feel better for sharing that...lol
