A Subtle Monkey

Quick, quick post as there is so much to do and so little time.

Today is Monday, which means Monkey See Monkey Do.  This was inspired by Cazzy over at SpecialGirl Nails.  Check the inspiration HERE.  
 

The idea behind this is simple, but I had not seen it done before.  It is a stamping jellie sandwich.  Oh how I love saying that (tee hee).  Although the concept is simple, finding the right polish was not.  I wanted something that was sheer without being streaky yet one that was opaque in three coats (only because I have a thing about visible nail lines).  Because of the aforementioned "thing", I don't have many nude tones.  I think I ended experimenting with two of the three that I own.  I could not find one polish that fit all three requirements, so I ended up using two, one completely opaque for the base and a very sheer jellie for the top.  Even after all the hunting and swatching, I still am not completely satisfied with the results, so I expect to revisit this again in the near future.

I started with two coats of Essie Demure Vixen.  This is a pink with a lilac lean, sheer in one coat and opaque in two.  If you like the "mannequin hands" look, this is perfect.  I would have used this for the whole thing, but one coat was not quite sheer enough for me.  This is before the sandwich was added. 

Next I stamped with Sally Hansen Snow White and DRK-B.

Finally I added two coats of Julep Marie.  I love this polish and hate it.  It is a gorgeous pale lilac jelly, but it is soooo sheer.  I mean this is two coats and you can hardly tell it is there.  If I use this again I will layer it over white.

What do you think?  I love the concept of the stamped jellie sandwich but I will need to add a better selection of jellies if I want to pull them off.  See you next time!