Paint it Blue! for Autism Awareness Month: Week 4

As April draws to a close, so does the gorgeous multitude of blue manicures we've seen throughout the month. I know this is a day late and it's actually May now... But I wanted my last blue mani in support of Autism Awareness month to be a memorable one, so I've chosen to combine my three favourite things - a gradient, flakies, and matte top coat.

I used a base colour of Estee Lauder Blue Blood. In the bottle it's a gorgeous midnight blue with a deep shimmer, but on the nail it basically looks black. The flakies are Nfu Oh 53, the prettiest flakie polish I ever did see. Isn't the bright blue shimmer under the matte top coat beautiful?

I love blue so much, I even dyed my hair!

Paint it Blue! for Autism Awareness Month: Week 3

It's still Autism Awareness month, so I'm still painting my nails blue every Tuesday! I wanted to do something simple, but a bit more interesting than a plain swatch, so I busted out the very first nail polish I reviewed on this blog.

The gradient is China Glaze First Mate and Nails Inc Baker St, topped with Candeo Sprouse. In keeping with the blue theme, Sprouse has a sprinkling of surprise iridescent blue glitter. That extra pop of colour sets it apart from the other black and white Connect the Dots dupes out there.

(Please excuse the messy cleanup. I ran out of acetone and had to use regular nail polish remover, which is so ineffective.)

Paint it Blue! for Autism Awareness Month: Week 1

April is Autism Awareness month, so to show support and raise awareness, the nail community are painting our nails blue throughout the month. While I personally don't have any experience with, or know anyone with autism, it's a cause that is very close to the heart of a lot of the friends I've made within the nail community. Autism affects 1 in 88 kids so it's a very real issue, and this is a great cause to raise awareness.

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen this picture I uploaded a few days ago. These are all the blue nail polishes I own - all 97 of them! That's almost a quarter of my collection, dedicated to one colour! I will be swatching my favourite blue nail polishes every Tuesday in April. I hope you like blue, because you'll be seeing a lot of it!

OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It!

I've swatched this nail polish before, but it's so pretty it's worth redoing for this post. Swimsuit... Nailed It! is a bright blue metallic foily polish. But boy, does this one stain! I still haven't figured out how to not get smurf nails after removing it. This is 2 coats.

OPI Last Friday Night

This was one of the first OPIs I bought when I started my obsession for real, and I still love it as much as I did back then. It's a shame that it's so sheer because I really like that blue jelly base colour. But on the other hand, it's perfect for layering over other colours. I'll probably franken a polish that matches that base, just to use as undies for this in the future. This is one coat over Chanel Blue Rebel.

Chanel Blue Rebel

Oh Chanel, why you so awesome? I'd be much happier if Chanel polishes didn't have such a perfect formula, because then I wouldn't have to buy them! And at the price that they are, my wallet can't handle it. Blue Rebel was originally released as part of the limited edition Les Jeans de Chanel collection, and was re-released in Australia recently. It's a beautiful 2 coater deep navy. Fortunately for those who can't get their hands on it or want a cheaper alternative, Nubar have released a dupe collection.

Illamasqua Serenity

I found this on sale at Myer on the weekend. I didn't think I'd like the rubber finish but when I put it on it's a really nice satiny matte. And how can you resist such a bright, cheerful blue? This is 2 coats.