Cirque Never Nude

The sun wasn't out today, so I wasn't able to truly capture the beauty of this polish. This is Cirque Never Nude, part of the same collection as Tibetan Nights. Never Nude is a bronze beige linear holo that dries to a semi gritty finish. Top coat is a must if you want your nails to be smooth to the touch. I used two coats for the pictures above, without top coat. Unlike other holos I've tried, I actually like the way Never Nude looks when the lighting makes it look flat (when it doesn't look holographic). Never Nude is a very pretty shade, and dried lightning fast. I think this would look good on everyone - it's a neutral-warm shade that would compliment any outfit without looking out of place.
Never Nude can be purchased here for $16.

A Story on Nail Art and Tips

*Tips are at the end of the post*

Let me start this off by saying that I have little to no skill/experience in nail art. In fact, up until today, the only kind of nail art I've attempted was water marbling. I've always found that doing my nails helped me relax. Somehow I figured that doing nail art would give me the same feeling. So I decided to watch a few videos on YouTube to familiarize myself to the process before I tried doing my nails. I wasn't 100% sure I would get a good result, but I figured I had a decent chance to get it right. And if I fail, it wouldn't be a huge deal; it was only nail polish, right? With that mentality, I started my first attempt. Surprisingly enough, it went very well,  and I garnered quite a few compliments while I wore it. Incensed by my successful first attempt, I decided to do another water marble. After all, I was able to get a very good result the last time I tried it; surely my second experience would be even better! With that in mind, I started to go through the steps again. I messed up a few nails along the way, which did irk me a little, but what the hey, it's only nail polish! So I removed the duds and redid them until I was satisfied with the result. And then I smudged a nail while putting away my supplies. My right eye developed a tic at that point, and I took out my supplies once more. I can be a perfectionist at times, and this was one of those times I had to have perfect. I was under the impression that I just had to redo one nail, and then everything would work out. And you know what? I was right, I was so right that I only had to redo that one nail nine fucking times. Insert a giggle of hysteria. By the end of it I had a headache due to the fumes I inhaled (I spent 1/2hr doing nine nails, 2 1/2 doing the leftover one all in a closed space) and I was halfway into getting a panic attack from the entire experience. Needless to say, any logical person would avoid doing a water marble for a while. From the fact that I took five times as long to do one nail compared to an entire manicure, you might get the idea that logic isn't exactly my forte. I'd defend myself saying that I am a very logical person, but there would be no point as I decided to try water marbling a third, fourth, and fifth time. All ended in the same way as attempt number two. At some point I decided to stop. It was just nail polish... so I tried it one last time. Laugh at me if you will, but my sixth attempt was gorgeous. It was a-ma-zing. A warm feeling started to spread through my body. Is that what happiness felt like? Finally, I was able to reproduce a successful water marble without messing up too much. My stress began to melt away. I started to relax. And then I realized I had the SATs the next day. I closed my fist in frustration and banged it on the table. I discovered my nails weren't as dry as I thought. That eye tic came back.

The End.

***

Ever since then, I became a little wary of all things nail art (including Konad, but for a different reason). I admired it on other people but told myself that I would drive myself insane if I tried to reproduce any of the things I saw on others. But then I came across this tutorial. My curiosity led me to try it out after a few weeks of hesitation (what the hey, it's just nail polish!) and I have to say that I like the way it turned out. It was easy, took little time, and looks great. Will I try it again? Hell no. The last thing I want to do is ruin this the way I ruined water marbling. 

I used (L to R) a-england Bridal Veil, a-england Saint George, Nubar Reclaim. I sponged OPI DS Sapphire on the tips.

***

I tried a creme gradient and a holo gradient and found that holos have a smoother transition when sponged on another holo. I found that a sheer linear holo like DS Sapphire sponged on another more opaque linear holo like Reclaim gave the best gradient like effect. When sponged on a scattered holo, the effect can be a little harsh. They all look good under bright sunlight, but in an area that is not brightly lit, I'd go for linear on linear.

Chanel Diwali

Today I have for you Diwali, from Chanel's pre-fall Paris-Bombay collection. Diwali is a light gold shade in a foil finish. Its particles reflect light quite well, and when applied it gives your nails a minx like effect.

  Diwali has a pretty good formula. I used two coats plus topcoat for the pictures below, and noted that the polish dried very quickly. The polish didn't streak at all and dried smoothly. I have to say, Diwali is a beautiful and elegant color.

I can't capture the effect in a picture, but Diwali glows under the sun. It's definitely one of those colors that will garner a lot of attention.

I like how the name of the polish fits with the brightness of the polish. During Diwali, the festival of the lights, rows of lamps are lit for days, commemorating this religious celebration.

 Above is a picture of Diwali taken with flash, which seems to demonstrate the brightness of the polish the best. The color of the polish is lighter than what is pictured in flash and non flash pictures. It looks like a gold version of Zoya Trixie or any other silver foil.

L to R: Chanel Diwali, Julep Sienna, Chanel Diwali, Julep Sienna

The only color I own that is similar to Diwali is Julep Sienna. Sienna, while also a light gold foil, has more silver in its color. It has smaller particles than Diwali, and thus looks smoother overall. Value wise, Sienna (retail $14 for .27oz) is less expensive per ounce, $51.85/oz to Diwali's (retail $30 for .4oz) $75/oz.
Even though it is a pretty color, Diwali is not an absolute must have, at least not for its hefty price tag. I'm sure that there are colors similar to it (like Sienna) at much more affordable prices. Diwali is however a limited edition color, so once it's gone, it's gone for good, so there's that to consider. Diwali is available online at chanel.com and at Chanel boutiques.