Illamasqua, Nudge and Orly FX, Milky Way.

Pardon me as I whip this out... I'm tired and I have a Sweet Red Wine chilling in the fridge that's calling my name.

Illamasqua's Nudge was originally released in Spring of 2010; it was called a mint green but it leans more aqua than mint. I don't have anything that leans this far blue. It's also got more white in its base than anything else I own. It's bright and cheeky. Wet n Wild's I Need a Refresh-Mint, Barielle's Money Talks, and China Glaze's For Audrey are all greener and significantly darker. The formula wasn't my favorite sadly. The consistency was a bit thick, streaky, and drying time was quite long. I managed to get away with 2 coats but some may find they need 3. You can see in my photos I experienced some bubbling as well. I think the color is unique but with the formula not up to par I won't be reaching for this again. (Nudge is no longer available through Illamasqua but you could probably find it on eBay or a Stash Sale)

For the accent nail I applied 1 coat of Nudge and then 1 coat of Orly FX, Milky Way. I splurged and bought the entire Galaxy FX Collection. I swatched them individually and then experimented with them over other colors. I really love how Milky Way looks over Nudge; it made the fine blue glitter stand out more. The formula on this chunky glitter is surprisingly good. Very easy to work with and I didn't have to fuss with glitter placement. I love the combo of orange, blue, and silver glitter. It's unusual but it works.

On my middle nail I applied a gold metal butterfly from a Nail Art Wheel I picked up from Icing. I used some small pliers to bend it to better fit the curve of my nail.

I applied a coat of ACI's In A Hurry to all my nails and a few extra coats to my middle nail to keep the butterfly sealed in. Of course after a few days the butterfly became a hassle (catching in my hair) so I had to remove it. This is the problem with cute stuff like this on your nails; it's not exactly functional. ;)