Manicure Monday: China Glaze Beach Cruiser

OPI Nail Envy base coat, China Glaze Beach Cruiser (2 coats), Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. Accent nail: Sally Hansen Berry Juicy (2 coats) topped with loose micro glitter from the craft store and clear top coat.

It's Monday. It's summer. And that means it's time for another bright manicure. A pink one at that. I've been rocking China Glaze Beach Cruiser quite a bit this month. I just love how it's bright but not too shocking. It makes it so easy for anyone to wear just about anywhere. And if it's easy to wear, chances are you'll wear it more often.

So here's the scoop. Beach Cruiser is actually quite a different shade in the China Glaze version than in the Orly version. Orly's Beach Cruiser is a bright neon pink. China Glaze's Beach Cruiser is a pretty, vibrant, magenta creme. It's opaque without being milky and the formula glides on like a dream. It's not to runny or thick, making the application streak free. Two coats is all you need for the color pay off you see in the bottle.

I'm really glad I got this polish because while I have a lot of pinks, they tend to be in the pale, neon, or fuchsia variety. I don't think I have many magentas.

My accent nail is painted with Sally Hansen's Berry Juicy from their Xtreme Wear collection (stay tuned for an individual swatch post on this pretty color) and topped with plain ol' regular micro glitter from Michaels. It's a great way to save money and add some variety to your manicure because you can pick up a quite a few different glitters for less than you'd pay for one nail polish. Plus, you can get a fully coated glitter nail without having to apply a million coats of glitter polish, giving your manicure a longevity.

Cut a small corner of the glitter package to better control the amount of glitter that pours out. Use a piece of tape to cover the hole once you're done. 

You guys know I'm not a huge glitter polish girl, but this new application method might just sway me to the glitter side. You can customize your glitter finish and get an better finished look overall.

The process is simple:

• Apply polish as you normally would (base coat, 2 coats of polish)
• Then sprinkle a little bit of micro glitter onto a smooth surface (I like to use the top of a lost tupperware container) and add just a few drops of clear polish
• Use a small brush (you can take a brush from an old nail polish you've tossed out, clean it and use it) to brush the glitter onto your nail. 
• I prefer this method to dipping my nail in glitter because it's easier to control where the glitter goes (read: I don't have to clean glitter off of my fingers)
• This also works great for glitter designs.
• Once you've coated your nail in glitter, top with clear top coat. 

Alternatively, you could follow this process:

• Apply base coat and two coats of your chosen nail polish
• Sprinkle glitter onto a smooth surface (a plate/ the top to a jar/ the top of a tupperware container)
• Press your nail into the glitter, make sure it coats the whole nail
• Clean up glitter from around your nail bed and fingers with a Q-Tip
• Top with clear top coat

Purchased this pack of 16 glitters at Michaels for $3.99

Alright, I hope you enjoyed today's manicure post. What do you think of China Glaze Beach Cruiser? Do you think you'll try the micro glitter trick and forgo glitter nail polishes from now on?