My First Christmas Manicure of the Year!

I finally got around to doing something Christmasy on my nails.  I have no patience for nail art, so glitter gradients are about as far as I’ve ventured into the nail art realm.  And a glitter gradient is exactly what I have today!

I used Darling Diva Black Diamond as the base, and China Glaze Party Hearty over that.  Party Hearty is a glitter topper with red, green, and gold glitters in different sizes.

This was part of China Glaze’s 2010 Christmas collection, but it is still one of my favorites.  However, I think it’s time for a new favorite.  When I opened this up, it was pretty dried up.  After 3 full droppers of Seche Restore, I finally got it back to something resembling nail polish.  Unfortunately, I think it may be time to retire this one.

The awesome holo in Black Diamond was pretty much over taken by Party Hearty, but I still enjoyed this as an understated Christmas manicure.

Any recommendations for a must-have Christmas glitter?

Darling Diva Diamonds and Opals

I recently had the opportunity to try Darling Diva Polish for the first time.  Carrie has a beautiful range of colors, and her most recent Diamond and Opal collections are no exception.

First is Black Diamond.  This is a stunning mid-tone grey linear holo.  This was a smooth formula, and I only needed one coat (plus top coat)!

These pictures were taken on a very cloudy day, and as you can see, the holo effect is still strong!  I waited for days for the sun to come out, and finally gave up on that.  I can only imagine how Black Diamond will look in full sun!

And from the Opal Collection, Teal Opal.  This is a teal jelly polish packed with flakies and scattered holo glitter.  I used 3 thin coats plus top coat here.  The formula was a bit thicker but still smooth and easy to work with.

Darling Diva polishes retail for $8 for a 15 mL bottle, and you can find them on Big Cartel.  You can also follow Darling Diva on Facebook.   What’s your favorite Darling Diva polish?

*The products in this post were provided by the company for an honest review.