Red, White, and Blue Nail Polishes

Before I get into the manicure I did this year, I chose my favorite red and blue nail polishes that could be used for a red,white,and blue manicure. I don't have all of my polishes with me currently, so there are probably others I could have included, but these are really my favorites - that's why they're with me, after all!

L-R: China Glaze - Red Pearl, Revlon - Frankly Scarlet, China Glaze - Poinsettia

L-R: China Glaze - Frostbite, OPI - Swimsuit...Nailed it!, China Glaze - Dorothy Who?,
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Pacific Blue

I didn't take a photo of it since I was sure you all have an idea of what a basic white cream nail polish looks like, but my favorite white is by far Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Whirlwind White. It goes on really opaquely in one or two coats, which makes it a lot nicer than sheerer or streakier whites, especially if you're using it as a base color and don't want to have a lot of drying time.

Of course, crackle or shatter polishes make really easy multi-colored manicures! I know there are red and blue ones available, I just don't have any of them. I do have white, though - and it's one of the polishes I used for my 4th of July themed manicure this year! I used China Glaze in Poinsettia for the red and Dorothy Who? for the blue glitter. The crackle polish I used was Sephora by OPI in White Blasted. I picked it up on clearance within the past few months. I also have the white crackle from China Glaze, which works too!

If you want to see another 4th of July themed manicure, the one I did last year is here! I used all China Glaze products - including the white crackle polish I mentioned.

Do you like doing themed manicures for holidays? I know I do - whether or not the holiday is something I really get into celebrating, it's hard to resist doing my nails for them!

4th of July Look

For my eyes, I started with the Palladio eye primer, then put the NYX jumbo pencil in Milk on the lid and the one in Cherry on the crease. I used the white shadow from the Covergirl Drama Eyes quad on the lid and the NYX single eyeshadow in Cherry over the red. I used the Milani Infinite eyeliner in Infinite and Covergirl Lashblast waterproof mascara in Glam Black.

Tank Top: Express

Shorts: Target

Shoes: Payless

4th of July Manicure : All China Glaze

Since the colored polishes I was using were all China Glaze, I figured I may as well use the base and top coat from them as well.




The colors I used are Frostbite (regular collection), Ruby Deer (Holiday 2010), and Lightning Bolt (crackle).


After the basecoat, I did two coats of the red stripe followed by two coats of the blue stripe. I had very little waiting time because I was sitting in front of a fan while doing this. I didn't pay any attention to staying within the nail because I was more concerned about making the diagonal line straight without overlapping. I then topped it off with the crackle polish.



I gave the crackle a few minutes to finish crackling and dry, then topped it with two coats of the Fast Forward topcoat. Once that was dry I went around the edges with my $1 ELF eyeliner brush dipped in 100% acetone to clean them up. So much cleanup was needed that the acetone in the cup I was using was completely purple by the end - which goes to show that you don't have to have particularly steady hands to end up with a neat-looking manicure.