Swapping Fun

If you've been reading this blog a while, you know I've done a swap around Halloween time every year for the last several with Akuma Kanji of Under the Gravity's Nails. Last year, that got a bit messed up, what with me dealing with my mom's passing and estate stuff, and Akuma was perfectly understanding. Still, I'd bought a few things very early in the year in anticipation of our swap, so it seemed good to add a few more and get a small package off to her last fall. Except I didn't get it off quite in time for Halloween, so now she's got party supplies for 2017. Ah well.

Even though this wasn't a usual swap, Akuma had some things for me as well; since I was traveling so much the last few months, she waited to mail until I got back, so earlier this month I got what's essentially an early Christmas present. Just look at all this fun stuff she sent:



The fishy notebook and matching zip bags are so cute! The five Kiko Smart Fast Dry lacquers are perched on some jams that look very tasty.

Here's a closer look at the polishes:



Left to right—34 Cool Gold, 14 Rouge Noir, 4 Rosy Nude, 32 Peacock Green, 43 Silver.

I just had to try Peacock Green first. This is a green-leaning blue shimmer; two coats was plenty for full coverage, and it did dry quickly. I think it's a really pretty color, just not green like Kiko seems to think it is (maybe that's a translation issue on the US website).





I also tried the other four colors all together, starting with a base of Rosy Nude, which is indeed rosy, a pale dusty rose creme. It's not quite the same shade of nude that I am, but it definitely complements my skintone. I used two coats of this.



Then I added dots of the last three colors. The gold and silver didn't really pop against the rose, but they do add some glimmer and gleam for sure.



Many thanks to Akuma for my new pretties!