Sunday, September 27, 2009

Atmospheric

Hello ladies,

Today I decided to revisit the idea of layering Nfu Oh flakies. On this occasion, the top coat was Essie Matte About You. The manicure reminds me of a view of planet Earth from space. Painting Nfu Oh 56, 50 and 52 over Essie Midnight Cami created a mesmerizing royal blue and emerald green duochrome. Matte About You made the color seem distant and frozen in time. You can click on any of these pictures to enlarge. The photos show the atmospheric manicure in every type of natural light I could capture, arranged from full sun to shade. 








The Nfu Oh flakie polishes are pictured in order of layering: 56, 50, and 52. 

Above shows Essie Midnight Cami in sunlight. The blue shimmer in the bottle is visible on the nail in moderate to bright light. I couldn't photograph it's full beauty on an overcast day. It appeared to be a deep navy in yesterday's post, but Midnight Cami offers lovely shimmer with the presence of sunbeams.


This is my first occasion using Essie Matte About You topcoat. I am wholly impressed with the formula. The topcoat self levels, creating a smooth, matte surface on the nail. The appearance makes me think of frosted glass. The consistency is thin and it dries quickly. I appreciate that the topcoat alters the look to a satin finish rather than a chalky matte. For ladies who want to experiment with the matte trend, this Essie topcoat can give you the option to create the look with favorite polishes in your collection. 

I would recommend doing cleanup of any excess color around the cuticle area before adding Essie Matte About You. Otherwise, the acetone can create a subtle halo of shine where it encounters the topcoat. For this manicure I used CND Stickey as a base, one coat of Essie Midnight Cami, one coat each of Nfu Oh 52, 50 and 56. I added a coat of CND Air Dry to harden the layers of color before adding Matte About You.

Happy painting, ladies!

11 comments:

  1. oh my goodness! they look like gemstones carved from ice in a forgotten temple on the moon!

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  2. Beautiful mani! I love the nfu ohs, they look great even mattified :)

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  3. Gorgeous mani, I love how you matted it!

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  4. Another beautiful combination! NFU's are so unique and I agree, Matte About You is very impressive.

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  5. Very cool! I think you should call this look "Area 51" :D It's so interesting to me how matte top coats make glitter polishes look. It's like they make the glitter even more noticeable somehow than a traditional shiny top coat does.
    -Lisa

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  6. Oh, this is SO cool! Haha, I love Lisa's name, Area 51, I think it's perfect! You just have the most amazing combinations, ever.

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  7. All I have to say is: SWOON SWOON SWOON!

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  8. I have got to get some of those NFU's...gorgeous, gorgeous mani. I love Essie's Matte About You too...really cool stuff.

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  9. What an interesting manicure you came up with. I love the three different flakies that you used to layer. Your nails do look like the planet Earth. Matte About You really gives an interesting look to this manicure. The flower is lovely.

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  10. Sarada: I would believe that Nfu Oh makes their polishes by excavating caves on the Moon. ;)

    AllYouDesire: Thank you. I don't think I will be satisfied until I order all the Nfu Oh flakies and layer them in every possible combination. :)

    gildedangel: Thanks! When I first received Matte About You, I couldn't wait to paint it over Nfu Oh flakies. I really want to try it with other glitter polishes.

    Mary: Thank you. You definitely inspired me with your matte making prowess.

    Lisa: I am determined to do an Area 51 manicure now! We'll have to discuss the components.

    Nicole: Lisa is clever! I'm so glad you like my layered manicures. I love stacking up the colors on my nails.

    beautyjudy: With such exclamations, I may have to consider bringing out the fainting couch for layered looks.

    Jamie D.: Thank you so much! I think I hear the Nfu-Ohs calling your name. ;)

    Lucy: Thank you. Maybe I should order more Nfu Oh polishes and explore other planets. I am really enjoying these last full blooms.

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  11. Ah, the coveted (by me) nfu oh flakie polishes - how I'd love to get my hands on them!

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