Customization: Frankenpolish & The Art Of Layering

Ask any beauty junkie and we'll admit, no matter how many shades, fragrances or formulations are thrown our way we are still restless for more. Even if we find that perfect product, after a while we'll wish it was a bit more "something". Deeper in color, smoother in feel, slightly more floral, etc. Let's face, it we're just never satisfied.

As we've learned from magazines, makeup artists and our fellow product junkies, beauty is like Burger King; we can have it our way. All it takes is a little customizing. Whether it's layering your favorite perfumes to create a signature scent, mixing your moisturizer in with your foundation to make it sheer and dewy or blending eight different shadows to achieve that perfect smokey eye we love to alter and combine our favorite products.

In the world of lacquer it's no different. When we can't find the color we want we become kids again, mixing lacquer like we used to mix our finger paints. It's all about experimenting, letting your imagination go and relying on our childhood art lessons about the color wheel. Say it with me folks, yellow and blue make green. Now I'm having Ziploc commercial flashbacks.

There are two methods of customizing polish:

• Layering - Using multiple layers of different colors to create the desired shade
• Mixing - Combining two or more lacquers in a bottle (aka Frankenpolish)

First let's discuss the easiest way to customize your color, layering. It's very no muss, no fuss. The only real trick is making sure the edges of each layer line up. If you have a shade that is too light or dark, layer it over white or black. Is your polish to sheer? Layer it over a similar hued opaque formula or black. Everything looks more intense over black. Love the shade of your chrome or metallic finish polish but hate the brush strokes? Add a sheer on top to achieve a smoother finish. Here are some examples from my own experiments.

I was so excited when I got China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out and He's Going In Circles because not only are they holographic but they're blue and green holos. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that the green and blue made enough of an impact.

So I layered them over opaque creme lacquers and pow! Instant intensity.
Here's an example of how I combated brush strokes in a metallic finish. I love the color of China Glaze Open Sky but the finish left something to be desired. So I turned to a holo for help. Adding a layer of OPI Blue Moon Lagoon didn't alter the beauty of Open Sky, it just added a little bling and a smoother look.

These two were just for fun. I love my greens but a girl can never have enough options.

Now on to the science project that is the Frankenpolish.

My first try at making my own polish was to mix MAC pigment with clear lacquer. Mixing pigments can be a lot of work but if you have a gorgeous shade that would look great on your nails, it's worth it. I buy Milani clear polish but others like using Sally Hansen Insta Dri. I add 1/4 tsp. of pigment at a time and mix, mix, mix before I test it on the nail. Just keep adding pigment until you've reached the desired opacity. If you can, add a couple mixing balls because the pigment will settle out when not in use.

Here are the results of my first ever pigment mix. This is MAC Entremauve in Milani Crystal Clear lacquer. The pink sparkles in Entremauve really pop as a polish.

The other method for mixing your own polish is to combine different lacquers to create a new shade. The true Frankenpolish.

Disclaimer: Due to the volatile nature of nail lacquer ingredients I do not condone or promote mixing formulas from different manufacturers. There is no way to know if they will safely combine. So franken at your own risk.

For great tips on the supplies, process and recipes, check out the Frankenpolish Notepad on Makeup Alley. Bravo to Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic for creating it and to all the lovely MUA members that contribute to it.

These lovely frankens are the creation of MUA member jennyferr.

45% OPI Designer Series Exclusive,
45% OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, 10% Black

1/3 Sinful San Francisco, 1/3 Rimmel Underground
Camouflage, 1/3 Zoya Tangy

Now it's your turn. Share your favorite layering combos and recipes.

photos: All Lacquered Up and jennyferr on MUA

NYX Has Gone Green

Fellow green polish lovers, rejoice! Now is the time for us. Green polishes are coming out of the woodwork. Nowhere is this trend more apparent than at NYX Cosmetics. Beloved for it's diverse range of shades, low prices and innovative wide polish brush, NYX has long been a favorite of mine.

Recently NYX revamped their colors and came out with "new" versions of old shades. Three of them are green. Carol, Tahitian and Las Vegas have joined Neon Green and Lime Sparkle (aka Simple Sparkle) to fulfill my green loving needs.


I should note that there has been some confusion regarding the old version of the updated shades. According to NYX they do still make the older version of each color but that isn't currently shown on the NYX website. I suggest that if you wish to place an order, you call NYX directly to verify that you will receive the correct colors.

Top Coat Challenge - NYX Oasis

In considering the best Big 3 Free base coat to use for the challenge, I excitedly ordered from the new NYX Oasis line. I couldn't wait to try out Smoothie, their ridge filling base coat, along with NYX Oasis Gloss It Up and Wear n' Tear top coats.

Unfortunately, my excitement died as soon as I started to apply them. I included my holy grail base coat, Creative Stickey, in the trial in combination with the two top coats.

I originally did a manicure using NYX Carol (not pictured) but my nails took forever to dry and I ended up with massive dents and ripples. The second day, I decided to give them a second chance with NYX South Sea.

I knew I was in for trouble when Smoothie immediately started bubbling on my nail. As much as I love NYX polishes and as gorgeous as South Sea is, it couldn't make the bubbles disappear. I then alternated in applying the two top coats and waited for them to dry. I waited almost an hour and during that time, the bubbles you see below surfaced. I went to bed and woke up the next morning to find ripples from my sheets in addition to the bubbles. Which is what you see pictured below.

So, even though I will continue to be a loyal user of NYX lacquer, I can not recommend Gloss It Up, Wear n' Tear or Smoothie.

NYX Cosmetics

As I was reorganizing my stash I came across my small collection of NYX polishes. It's been so long since I've worn any of them, I almost forgot I had them. NYX isn't the easiest line to come across. I've read about people finding them in stores but I've never seen them in person. I order mine directly from NYX's website.

If you never tried an NYX polish, I highly recommend them. They have a huge color range; brights, sheers, glitters, pales, etc. The bottles have a wide brush, similar to OPI's, that makes application so much better. In fact, I believe that they had the wide brush way before OPI introduced theirs.

If you order directly from NYX, you will only be charged $3/bottle, not the $4 posted on the site. Shipping is fast and very reasonable. I ordered 10 polishes and only paid 6 dollars and some change for shipping.

The My Diva's Closet website also sells NYX and they have MUCH better pictures than NYX does. They charge $4/bottle so I only visit for the pictures. Here is my NYX collection.