Happy Monday.  I’m submitting this post a little out of order because after I wrote my draft I somehow didn’t save it properly so I have to reeeewwwrrrriiittteee it.  Anyway, Arizona Iced Tea anyone?  I can’t say this mani was inspired by the drink of my childhood, however, it definitely is reminiscent of their old can.  I did also have someone tell me it reminded them of a porcelain teacup.

Polish Performance

This manicure was my first attempt at using a matte top coat as well as my first time using Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure line.  I will say I now know why this line runs for around $8 versus the the $2-3 you’ll pay for their Xtremewear line.  The brush is amazing!  I had to do ZERO clean up on this manicure because I had so much control with the brush and polish.  It’s very soft and it has a rounded shape that fit the curve of my cuticles perfectly.

I was quite surprised at how thin one coat of the polish is…so surprised that I took a photo.

1 Coat of Sally Hansen Jaded

I used two coats, but really I think this polish would be best with 3 or 4 if you want full opacity.  I definitely like the color of it too and I will say that these photos don’t do it justice (the pics look a little more grey and less green).

The matte topcoat did what it said, it turned super shiny polish into a smooth flat matte finish.  I did notice some micro bubbles and I’m not sure whether it was from the top coat or from not letting the colored polish below dry long enough.  I was on the fence about matte manicures for a long time, but this experiment has definitely changed my mind and I look forward to playing with more options!

Techniques:

The branches were just a simple few lines drawn with a fine paint brush and the flowers involved using one of my jenky homemade dotting tools (read: a sewing needle stuck into the pink eraser of a pencil).

Place 5 dots of polish in a circle and then place the needle in the center of each circle and drag a line towards the center.  This will create the look of dimensional petals.  I put a dot of CG Fairy Dust in the center of each flower for extra pop.  You can always use a different number of dots to get a variety of flower patterns.

Polishes Used:

1. Seche Vite Base Coat
2. Green Base – 2 coats Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Jaded
3. China Glaze Matte Magic Top Coat
4. Branches – Ulta Taupe On A Rope
5. Flowers – Essie Luscious Lips
6. Flower center accents and forefinger – China Glaze Fairy Dust

What are your favorite polish colors to make matte?