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Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Fireworks Week - ORLY Androgynie


Nails I Love

ORLY - Androgynie

Hi Goddesses



Well this week on the blog it's FIREWORKS WEEK & BONFIRE WEEK in honour of Guy Fawkes Night on November 5th.  Talking to some of my American friends, this seems a very English-only tradition, so I’ll explain briefly so that you have a clue what the manis are supposed to represent.



Basically on November 5th, big bonfires of scrap wood, branches and leaves are lit, either in back gardens or at local events.  We then let off LOADS of fireworks.  This is all to commemorate Guy Fawkes who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder (the ingredient in fireworks) in 1605.  If you want to know more, you can Wikipedia it, but in the meantime, just have a secret smirk that a country that is so pro-Establishment gathers together each year to celebrate ultimate anarchy.  England – we love our irony.



So, for the first mani this week we have ORLY Androgynie, representing the night sky before the fireworks go off.  Now, I have to declare my prejudice: me and Orly, we fell out when I first got into nail varnish.  Lovely bottle, love the heftiness of the wand, but man, every polish has the density of flower water.  Thin, runny ..  aargh.  I like 2 coaters, and Orly takes 3 coats before she decides to get out of bed, she’s too high maintenance for me, and that’s before she chips (and she’ll chip as soon as you take your evil eye off her).



So, I was prepared for this, even though Androgynie looked gorgeous in photos.  And although this wasn’t a TOTAL fail, it also didn’t have me ringing the bell at how successful it was.



So, in the Blue Corner, my aarrgghhs
  • Thin- required 3 coats
  • Black?  Black ?  it’s only black like wet soil is black, and has a brownish tinge
  • Ooooh see how that bottle dances with sparkles?  Yeh, they’re glued to the glass and will NOT be making an appearance on your nail anytime soon




And in the Red Corner ….
  • There is something really pretty and galaxy-ish about it
  • The sparkles, which I thought would just be silver, are multi-coloured, and it was a really nice surprise to see the odd flash of orange, blue and violet (emphasis on the *odd* flash, because most of the buggers are still inside the bottle)
  • I didn’t immediately through it across the room, which I have done with at least 1 other Orly (oops)




But more than that, can we please have a handclap for possibly the tidiest mani the clumsy Crumpet-hands have ever done?  Look at those clear edges!!  Wooo hoooo!!  FINALLY !! and with a black polish, which as you know, does not play fair when it comes to requiring a tidy mani J



So, I liked it, but I didn’t love it, and it wasn't anywhere near as wow as i'd hoped.  That said she's still pretty, and she'll be a great base for starry skies and galaxies.  I meant to try it with some Nubar 2010 on top, but only remembered when I’d removed the last nail..  oopsie.

Enjoy J  xx

J

Top Tip – if you’re ever unsure what a nail colour looks like, go to Google images, which will give you plenty of contrasts and compares.