Matte Nail Polish

One of the things I bought at Beauty Headquarters was this O*P*I Matte finish polish.  I had just watched a review of matte polishes from EricaLeung13 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t80KBSsZaEY  (if you want to check it out).  She uses Zoya in the video, but they don't sell Zoya at Beauty Headquarters (at least I didn't notice it...).  This O*P*I just happened to catch my eye because there's a big sticker on it that says "Matte" LOL.

I tested it on my mom's nails, although she was not thrilled with having a matte finish.  The color in the picture looks more brown than it does in real life.  It's definitely more purple.  I added a design to it, just to give it something extra, versus just keeping a plain matte polish.  I think the added sparkle gives it a good contrast from the matte finish.

What I Used:

NailTek (Base Coat)

O*P*I: Lincoln Park After Dark - Matte

Orly French Manicure: White Tips

Orly Glosser

Dotting Tool

Circle Rhinestones (1.5mm)

Heart Rhinestones

What I Did:

Step 1: Base Coat.  I used NailTek because this base coat is a little more matte than other basecoats.  I think the Orly Tough Cookie is a tiny bit shiner.  The bottle of O*P*I actually said to not use a base coat or a top coat, but since I was using such a dark color, I wanted a base coat to protect my mom's nails from staining.

Step 2:  Two coats of Lincoln Park After Dark.  The first coat was kind of messy and streaky.  However, it dried pretty quickly and after the second coat, I had a nice even finish.  My mom looked at her nails and was like...um, I don't like matte that much.  I think it does take a little bit of getting used to.  However, I thinnk my mom has a harder problem with it, because she's all about the shiny (haven't you noticed her bling? LOL).

Step 3: Using White Tips and the Dotter, I made 5 dots in the shape of a circle on each nail.  I kind of put the flower on different spots of the nail on each finger.

Step 4: I put a light pink circle rhinestone in the center of each flower, and a bright pink heart rhinestone on the opposite side of the flower.  I used the Glosser to stick the rhinestones on, but I tried to put on as little as possible because I didn't want the rest of the nail to be shiny.  I think the rhinestones might fall off easier, but oh well.  It's a sacrifice I had to make.  I'll keep you guys updated on the status of the rhinestones.

No top coat, so I could keep the nail as matte as possible.  As I said before, I think the added rhinestones is set off perfectly with the matte background.

I actually redid my mom's toes as well.  I didn't use the matte polish because toes go through a lot of wear and tear, and a matte polish would not last AT ALL.  So instead I used a purple glittery polish I got from Hot Topic and did the same design with the flower and the heart rhinestone.

Yes, I know her toes are dry!!!  She doesn't take care of them as much as she should.  And I think she's on her feet a lot during the day.

So that completes this look!