November Challenges - Under the Sea

The prompt for #clairestelle8nov was Under the Sea.
I started with a base of Barry M Black Grape, a super dark blue.
Then I stamped using the wavy sea image on Pueen 91 and ILNP Mutagen to give an underwatery sort of feel.
Then I used Vivid Lacquer VL042 and stamped the dolphins and octopi with Avon Metallic Effects Jade Reflection and Arctic Steel.
Finally I added some coral from Pueen 91 using Avon Metallic Effects Frosted Peach.
I took glossy and matte pics - again I struggled to decide which I like best. I felt the glossy finish looked more underwatery but I did like the way the matte finish made the stamping really stand out. The down side of the matte finish was that the beauty of Mutagen was lost, but you can't really see that on the photos anyway.

Barry M Black Grape

 

Vivid Lacquer VL 042 and Pueen 91

 

 

I Love Nail Polish Mutagen

Today's polish is cool, in fact SO cool even my husband said "wow" when he saw it! However, as usual with the most exciting polishes, capturing it to share with you was a bit of a challenge.
In the end I decided not to stress about it too much, I've done my best, I can tell you what I think about it and show you my pics, and then there's always Google.
I almost always google swatches before I buy, and I read reviews too so I can avoid streaky polishes, ones with a shimmer that I won't like etc. or be prepared for any challenges with application, so obviously I have seen plenty of swatches of this and I know what pictures I ought to be able to take!
So, this is Mutagen, by I Love Nail Polish. It is a deep green multichrome, which shifts through a tealy blue, then purple and finally through to a coppery/bronze.
When I first got this I swatched it as 2 coats on its own, but most bloggers seem to recommend duo and multichromes over black, so I have done 1 layer of Mutagen over 2 layers of Nails Inc Black Taxi.
Comparing back to a quick shot I did of my swatch I think I'd tend to agree that the black base does help, although I am not quite sure how that works. The first coat of my swatch on its own was pretty sheer whereas the coverage and effect with 1 coat over black is perfect, I can't see 2 coats being any better.
The pictures are taken without top coat, in the hope of capturing the effect, so some of the later ones do show a few signs of wear, but this has been on 2 full days now and other than a couple of knocks it's still looking good and I just love that green/purple shift!
I didn't capture all the colour range, but even the green base colour on its own is lovely, and prompted me to drag out a bit of green knitwear, despite it being in the high 20s and no need for any knitwear at all! This is such an eyecatching polish, the finish is amazing and I can't help thinking about beetles with their hard shiny iridescent shells!

I Love Nail Polish Mutagen

 

 

 

  

Think this is maybe the beetle I was thinking of - A Mint Leaf Beetle - picture from Wild About Britain

Mint Leaf Beetle