Purple Thermals Comparison

Before I left for vacation, my nails were long enough and the weather was moderate enough to show off thermals, so I pulled out two that had been languishing in my swatching boxes for months: Girly Bits Basic Witch (from Polish Pickup for September 2020) and KBShimmer In the Mood (from PPU for November 2020).

 

Girly Bits Basic Witch is a deep purple with blue shimmer and pink/orange/green flakes that shifts to lavender (cool light purple) when warm.

 

 

Apparently my index and middle fingers run warmer; you can see above the cool color is fading faster on them than the ring and pinky. I ran my hand under cool water again and ran back to my lightbox to get the picture below while more of the cool color was still in evidence.

 

Another look at this beauty. I don't care which state it eventually settles in once the thermal dies as I like both the cool and warm states.

 

KBShimmer In the Mood is also a deep purple; it has pink/purple shimmer and pink/blue/green flakes. When warm it shifts to lilac (warm light purple).

 

The contrast between warm and cold was very dramatic with this one, and seemed to last longer in that I was able to get a photo before the tips started to warm up (though perhaps my hands were cooler by then having been under the water a couple times with the Girly Bits).

 

 

 

 

I realized a couple days later than I hadn't done a nail to nail comparison of these two, so did that quickly on my somewhat shorter travel-ready nails before I left on my trip. Top to bottom: Girly Bits (heat already taken over the cool zone), KBShimmer, Girly Bits, KBShimmer.

 

These definitely are in "similar but not the same" category. The Girly Bits is a cooler-toned purple while the KBShimmer is warmer, and while they both have shimmer and flakies, they're not the same color shimmer and flakies. So I'm good with having them both. And good with whatever state they get stuck in when that happens, as it does with all thermals eventually.

Indie Expo Canada Cocktail Party Wrap-Up

Continuing my effort to clear out my folders of nail photos, today I've got the last batch of IEC cocktail party exclusives that I swatched last fall and then failed to post. My nails haven't been this long and healthy since then ... though summer is coming up again and they usually do better in that sort of weather so maybe I'll have nice long nails again in a few months.

First up is Orchid-ing Me Right, a warm lilac holo shimmer from Girly Bits (in a special IEC label).







LynB Designs Cocktail Swag is a muted teal shimmer with a subtle pink flash and scattered glitter highlights.







Last but most definitely not least, I have Great Lakes Lacquer Pam Told Me To, a blue violet shimmer with a purple/green shift.









I happened to be swatching Pam Told Me To as the sun was setting outside my studio and thought it looked really interesting in the warm fading light when I pulled my hand out of the lightbox ... almost like a galaxy mani without having to do all the work.





I'm sad that there wasn't an IEC this year, but that's how it goes during these times. I hope Pam decides to re-start the event at some point because it's such a good time and there are always such pretty polishes.

Girly Bits Misheard Lyrics Collection

Today I have a whole collection that I almost didn't buy all of because at the time I was in one of my phases where I was feeling that there is no reason I ever buy another pink or red polish, but all the other shades in this collection seemed like they were meant just for me, and leaving their pink sibling behind seemed cruel. Thus I have all six matte shimmers plus the glitter topper that together make up the Misheard Lyrics collection from Girly Bits. That's Tony Danza on top with Electric Boobs, Fax Machine, Kiss This Guy, Hot Dogs, Lorraine, and Cross-Eyed Bear lined up right to left below.



These colors looked so good together that I used them together, starting with the pink to purple side of the spectrum. I did a gradient with the three shades—Electric Boobs (fuchsia pink), Fax Machine (warm purple), and Kiss This Guy (cool purple)— on my index finger (using a skintone base to disguise any thin spots resulting from my less than expert technique with the sponge), then each at two coats by themselves on my remaining digits. The matte finish here combined with the shimmer is just so pretty.







They looked just as pretty with a clear topcoat added to bring out the sparkle in the shimmer.





Then it was time to add a coat of Tony Danza, which has pink/orange/green shifting glitter and shifting shimmer in a translucent base. It dries shiny enough to not need an additional topcoat. Again, very pretty.







Then I took the same approach with the green to blue side. Gradient on my index finger over skintone base with Cross-Eyed Bear (teal blue), Lorraine (turquoise blue), and Hot Dogs (blue), then each of the colors on their own finger at two coats. Again, that lovely matte finish.







And here they are sparkling after I slicked on some clear topcoat:



And now with a coat of Tony Danza. These cool hues brought out different parts of the glitter and shimmer in Tony Danza than the warm ones had—they're all pretty, though. (How many times have I said "pretty" so far? A lot, each time well deserved.)





These were so lovely together that I just had to try out some more combinations, so did four different gradients topped with Tony Danza, which I decided looked best in the late afternoon sunlight coming in through the window at my studio. Top to bottom: Electric Boobs, Fax Machine, and Kiss This Guy; Fax Machine, Kiss This Guy, and Hot Dogs; Kiss This Guy, Hot Dogs, and Lorraine; Hot Dogs, Lorraine, and Cross-Eyed Bear.



Finally, I needed to try Tony Danza over black so it could show off how shifty it is. Gorgeous!







All of these except Hot Dogs are still available on the Girly Bits website. If I hadn't bought the pink one when I did, I'd sure be ordering it now to complete my set.

Wheel P10: Girly Bits

This coming weekend I'm attending the second annual Indie Expo Canada, and in honor of Pam, who made IEC happen, I've got a Nail Wheel Wednesday filled with her brand, Girly Bits.



(all have clear topcoat over coats of color noted below)

1. Girly Bits Refresh Refresh Refresh (2 coats over black)
2. Girly Bits OVbunEN (2)
3. Girly Bits Love Ya Beach (2)
4. Girly Bits You Spin Me Round (2)
5. Girly Bits Sugar Beach (3)
6. Girly Bits Into the Night (3) [early version]
7. Girly Bits Into the Night (3) [later version]
8. Girly Bits Gravedigger (3)
9. Girly Bits Purple Potion (3)
10. Girly Bits prototype FRPS#1 (3)
11. Girly Bits Visions of Sugar Plums (3)
12. Girly Bits unknown (2) [lost the label on this one]
13. Girly Bits Seriously Sassy (2)
14. Girly Bits No Such Thing As a Purple Problem (2)
15. Girly Bits prototype FRPS#5 (2)
16. Girly Bits Stayin' Alive (2)
17. Girly Bits Razzle Dazzle (3)
18. Girly Bits What Happens in Vegas Ends Up on Instagram (2)
19. Girly Bits The Power of Love (2)
20. Girly Bits A Stripper Has Been Sleeping in My Bed (3)


Bottles 1 through 5:



6 through 10:


11 through 15:



16 through 20:














Bonus direct light shots of a few of these: