My First Franken: Purple Pepper

I've been planning to try frankening since I first learned about it and have been collecting stuff to do it almost as long, but it wasn't until late last month that I gave it a go. Thanks to the holidays and vacation and such I'm only getting around to posting about it now.

My idea was to take Milani Hi-Res (which was one of my earliest NOTD posts back in May of 2010) and "pump it up". In addition to Hi-Res, I used Wet 'n' Wild Fantasy Makers silver holo glitter I picked up last Halloween, Revlon Natural (a.k.a. clear) of unknown age, and purple holo glitter I bought at Jo Ann Fabrics & Crafts some time ago.



I poured some Hi-Res into an empty Wet 'n' Wild Wild Shine bottle, added some silver holo glitter (using an adorable little funnel I found at Sally Beauty in a set of three), added some purple holo glitter, and topped off the bottle with the Revlon clear before adding a couple balls (stainless steel, obtained from a MUA nail board friend) and shake, shake, shaking it.







I couldn't wait to try it on, so I put two coats of it on my thumb over the Orly Winter Wonderland I happened to be wearing at the time then added top coat since it was a bit gritty on its own.







I did eventually manage to stop looking at the pretty sparkles long enough to try swatching it on its own. I used three coats of color plus two coats of top coat to smooth it out.





I'm mostly happy with how this turned out, even though it's not all that different than the polish I used as a base. I'm undecided on the purple glitter; I think maybe I should have used more of it so it wouldn't look so fleck-y. I do love the way the holo flashes even in room light (Michigan was having an all clouds all the time period when I had this one on, so I didn't get any sun pictures of it).

I'm also pleased to report that nearly three weeks later it still looks the way it did when I made it; neither of the glitters I used melted or settled or bled. The pack looks like this in case some of you are near a Jo Ann and want to keep an eye out for it:



I'm looking forward to playing with those other colors of glitter the next time Mr. Karen goes out of town (he's not at all fond of the smell of polish so I try to keep it away from his nose).