Acetone Files: 33DC Day 5 - Mexican / Once Upon a Time in Mexico nails
Acetone Files
33DC Day 5: Mexican
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Nails
Oh my god I'm obsessed with Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Ever since I saw it in Spanish class in high school, I've been in love with its intensity and imagery. Robert Rodriguez is a genius director, and maybe I'm twisted or something but I can't get enough of Johnny Depp's bleeding eyes. There are so many colors and patterns to play with in that movie, from the gritty tans of Mexico to the Dia de los Muertos decorations, so I decided to theme my Mexican nails around this movie.
First off I used a base of my brand new Bliss Polish Spank. I bought two of the Behind Closed Doors collection, and Spank turns out to be a perfect nude-tan with a hint of sparkle for the sandy backdrop of my Mexico nails. It was so close to my skin color in base hue that I forgot to clean up around my nails until I zoomed in on my photos! I was also pleasantly surprised to find out it's got a cool matte finish. The glitter is a little easier to see if you topcoat it though.
I will say right now I'm terrible at freehanding anything, so my papel picado nails look like crap, but I love the designs of those Mexican paper cutouts anyway. I used Maybelline Color Show Sweet Clementine and Sinful Colors Boom Boom and took some patterns from the Day of the Dead procession in the movie. My middle finger I saved for a Sally Hansen Black Heart moon and drips of Revlon Vixen in homage to Johnny Depp's bloody badass gunslinger. Finally I wanted to get some of that cool rusty red that was all over the sets of that movie into my nails, so I used China Glaze Life Preserver on my pinkie and added the movie's signature (from the poster), a gold scorpion Hex Nail charm.
I just got my Day of the Dead skull decals from Born Pretty, and seeing as how it's October, I couldn't wait to use them! I created a base of dirty, tannish skull reminiscent of the giant skulls from the Dia de los Meurtos procession in the movie, using OPI Skull and Glossbones and sponging on Sinful Colors Nirvana. It took me a while to figure out the decals - the instructions said to remove the "film" and then soak it, which I took to mean it worked like a regular tattoo where you place it face-down on your nail and soak the paper backing. I ruined one before realizing you actually let the decal itself float off the paper and then place it on your nail! So I incorporated a little more classic Day of the Dead into this mani, and added some gold studs to the eyes for a little more shine.
P.S. Are you a Mexi-can or a Mexi-can't?
Review: Bliss Polish Spank is a terrific nude - it's actually nearly my perfect mannequin hands shade, only my fingers tend to pink up wildly; if my hands stayed my true flesh color with no rosiness, this is it. I love the matte finish AND The sparkle, which isn't visible all the time, but really pops in the sun, especially with a shiney topcoat. The formula was a little thick, but it turns out to self-level nicely in a second or two. I can't wait to try Bite as well ^_^ A
33DC Day 5: Mexican
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Nails
Oh my god I'm obsessed with Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Ever since I saw it in Spanish class in high school, I've been in love with its intensity and imagery. Robert Rodriguez is a genius director, and maybe I'm twisted or something but I can't get enough of Johnny Depp's bleeding eyes. There are so many colors and patterns to play with in that movie, from the gritty tans of Mexico to the Dia de los Muertos decorations, so I decided to theme my Mexican nails around this movie.
First off I used a base of my brand new Bliss Polish Spank. I bought two of the Behind Closed Doors collection, and Spank turns out to be a perfect nude-tan with a hint of sparkle for the sandy backdrop of my Mexico nails. It was so close to my skin color in base hue that I forgot to clean up around my nails until I zoomed in on my photos! I was also pleasantly surprised to find out it's got a cool matte finish. The glitter is a little easier to see if you topcoat it though.
I will say right now I'm terrible at freehanding anything, so my papel picado nails look like crap, but I love the designs of those Mexican paper cutouts anyway. I used Maybelline Color Show Sweet Clementine and Sinful Colors Boom Boom and took some patterns from the Day of the Dead procession in the movie. My middle finger I saved for a Sally Hansen Black Heart moon and drips of Revlon Vixen in homage to Johnny Depp's bloody badass gunslinger. Finally I wanted to get some of that cool rusty red that was all over the sets of that movie into my nails, so I used China Glaze Life Preserver on my pinkie and added the movie's signature (from the poster), a gold scorpion Hex Nail charm.
I just got my Day of the Dead skull decals from Born Pretty, and seeing as how it's October, I couldn't wait to use them! I created a base of dirty, tannish skull reminiscent of the giant skulls from the Dia de los Meurtos procession in the movie, using OPI Skull and Glossbones and sponging on Sinful Colors Nirvana. It took me a while to figure out the decals - the instructions said to remove the "film" and then soak it, which I took to mean it worked like a regular tattoo where you place it face-down on your nail and soak the paper backing. I ruined one before realizing you actually let the decal itself float off the paper and then place it on your nail! So I incorporated a little more classic Day of the Dead into this mani, and added some gold studs to the eyes for a little more shine.
P.S. Are you a Mexi-can or a Mexi-can't?
Review: Bliss Polish Spank is a terrific nude - it's actually nearly my perfect mannequin hands shade, only my fingers tend to pink up wildly; if my hands stayed my true flesh color with no rosiness, this is it. I love the matte finish AND The sparkle, which isn't visible all the time, but really pops in the sun, especially with a shiney topcoat. The formula was a little thick, but it turns out to self-level nicely in a second or two. I can't wait to try Bite as well ^_^ A