Confetti Paparazzi + Barielle Nail Brightener

My mani for today is pretty simple but I really enjoyed it.  I started with two coats of Barielle Nail Brightener, which is my all time favorite base for french manicures:

It has a subtle blue shimmer for a "brightening" effect, just like blue shimmer that you sometimes see in lip gloss.  The blue counteracts yellow/dull tones and the shimmer reflects light.  In the bottle it looks kinda opaque, but it goes on very sheer and subtle so it can be layered on top of white tips without a problem.  When I use Nail Brightener, it's like my natural nail...but better!

Then I used Confetti Paparazzi, an orange jelly shimmer, for the french tips.  I am terrible at free handing french tips so when I like to use jellies and glitters that are buildable and don't streak--they tend to be more forgiving towards shaky hands.

Citrus Inspiration

I've been eager to try out my new citrus fimo canes, so for today's mani I used Life Preserver from China Glaze's Spring 2011 Anchor's Away Collection.

In the bottle, Life Preserver looks like a soft creamy orange, but it dries a shade darker into a bolder color.  I stamped the citrus design from Konad plate m55 using China Glaze 2030, and then added fimo slices of lemon and grapefruit to one nail over a layer of top coat.

I think fimo fruit are so cute!  I know it looks pretty impractical but it was definitely fun to try.