Layered Mani- Gelish Water Field over Shellac Asphalt

A few months ago my manicurist gave my girlfriend Jen this amazing manicure. It was heavily glittered (something I never had the nerve to try) and I spend the entire day holding her hand and looking into those gorgeous nails. (Weird, yes, I know!)

I was mesmerized. I dreamed of the day when I could be so daring as to pull something like this off. Luckily for me, New Years Eve was right around the corner and I vowed to try something completely out of my comfort zone. So last Friday I had Sarah recreate the look for me using 1 coat of Gelish Water Field over 2 coats Shellac Asphalt.

Shellac Asphalt + Gelish Water Field (natural light)

In the photo below you can see a bit better the Water Field has all different size sparkle particles. The larger ones have a holograph like quality and pick up of shades of red, blue and green.

Shellac Asphalt + Gelish Water Field - artificial light

My nails turned out exactly as I wanted and were perfect for the New Year's festivities. What surprised me though, was how seriously over the sparkle I was the very next day. I guess old habits die hard and if you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know that I'm a creme polish kind of girl. I love the look of glitter and shimmery nails on other people, just not myself.

I'm the girl that has 30 Essie polishes all in slight variations of pale pink. I am a fan a big bright pinks, deep purples, all shades of grey and blue, but not glitter. This year I found the perfect red in Shellac Decadence, check it out here, and every time my fingers popped out of a glove or from beneath a sleeve I was excited at how gorgeous the color was (even after 2 weeks).

Every time I see my uber-glittered hand now, I get slightly startled. Maybe I should have started with just the ring fingers.

All this being said, it was exactly what I asked for and Sarah did a magnificent job, as always. The concept worked perfectly for exactly one night. My problem is that this mani will last another 2 weeks. So I will be attempting to paint over it with regular polish. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you're a glitter lover, though, this is the perfect decadent, disco ball manicure. I'd love to see it. Just not on my own hand.