Thursday, October 10, 2013

Birds of a feather flock to...Orly fOWL Play!

I did this post as a guest post a number of months ago for Guilty As Charged in her absence, but she had some issues with the scheduling feature so I just figured I might share it here on my own blog as well, in case you guys missed it, and because I will be out of town this weekend with positively no  time to do a post. :-/  So I really hope this isn't considered "bad blogger form!"  I just l♥ve this mani and could share it over & over again! LOL


My original mani plan ended up having an element that just would not work, so after going back over the ideas I'd had for this post, I decided this one was much more fitting anyways, since Haleigh's blog features such great nail art.  I hope mine is worthy of being here!  I give you Fowl Play:


I cannot even tell you how excited I was to find out that OPI's Merry Midnight has an almost exact dupe.  I wanted MM after seeing only one photo of it, but when I discovered it was going for upwards of $25 on eBay, I was quite sad.  Then along came a comparison post (or several!) with Orly Fowl Play, and with some trepidation, I headed back over to eBay.  This time however, I was overjoyed to find I could get my dream polish for only $5!!!  Mmmm...just feast your eyes on that vampy purple, flaky, sparkly, rainbow-y goodness!  

Being a huge fan of plays on words, I had a "liiiightbulb" moment and realized that freehanding an owl as an accent nail would mean I could entitle my post Fowl Play! ;-) hehehe


Isn't he a cute 'lil guy?!  :-D  I think he needs a name...any ideas?  
Mr. Unnamed Owl is composed of Zoya Reagan, Sinful Colors My Buoyfriend, Zoya Arizona, and just any old black & white for the eyes, against a background of OPI Can't Find My Czechbook.  The color combos are truly endless, which is super fun!  :-)  I don't actually have a nail art brush set, but a detail brush from my roommate's set of craft brushes (from Wal-Mart) worked just fine.  I also used a pin - yes, A PIN - for the beak & the dots on the owl's body, as well as the black pupil & the teensy, infinitesimal, tiny, microscopic white glint on the pupil.


In case you were curious, I did end up doing my right hand because I really want to be able to wear this mani for a few days, so I had to at least attempt to make my hands match!  He's a tad...deformed, but still loveable. :-)  OH!  I almost forgot - the branches are China Glaze Ingrid.  Pretty much the only brown I have in my stash.  And of course, it has a fine gold shimmer in it, so my apologies, but Houston, we have a sparkly branch!


The application of all these polishes was really great.  Ok, yes, I used most of them in minute quantities, but I was glad to see they were all very opaque as there was a lot of layering going on!  This is only two coats of Fowl Play.  I think I would classify it as a couple-shades-lighter-than-eggplant purple jelly base, but it's highly pigmented, so the coverage is great - as is the drying time.  I've had SO many issues with bubbling cremes lately, so this was quite a welcome relief.

If any of you have read my blog, you know I'm very long-winded, and I'm sure I could continue on about this mani, but I feel I've kept you long enough, especially since this is a guest post!  I leave you with one final shot:


Thank you so much for reading!  I hope this inspires you to be creative & boldly go where you've never gone before...on your nails. ;-)  Or in life.

~ Emily :-)

10 comments:

  1. Hi Emily, great post and pictures - I do have to wear Fowl Play again!!! It looks too beautiful on you! And I love Madame Fowler - she is really too cute, you are a great artist!! About ebay - oh it is outrageos what some polishes cost, I frankly find it gross at times, cheers to you to have found a reasonably priced bottle!!!

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    1. Awww, thank you so much Christine! Yes you really should...and actually, I really should as well! haha :P It's been quite awhile since I did this mani.
      LOL I L♥VE your nickname for the owl!! :D At first I was super confused (because I was reading comments at 1 am) then I was like, ohhhh! I get it! LOL
      Yes some of the polishes on ebay are outrageous. I totally fell for OPI's Merry Midnight, but I would not pay what the ebay sellers wanted for it. ;)

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  2. THAT OWL. <3 so adorable, and the polish choice to match it looks great, I need to get more jelly polishes!

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    1. Hehehe, thank you Amey!! :D And thanks so much for stopping by & following my little blog! I really appreciate it. :)
      Yes, jelly polishes are so fun, regardless of the characteristic multiple coats. At first I was confused as to what they were and how to find them (especially just the pure, no glitter jellies) but now I have quite the collection and I love 'em! :)

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  3. Love it!!! LOL. Great job putting the owl with Fowl Play:) Of course, I love owls so much..so this mani is right up my alley! Have a great little vaca :)

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    1. LOL yes, sometimes I ACTUALLY have clever ideas!! :P I'm so glad you enjoyed this mani... I really enjoyed doing it, as painstaking as it was. ;)
      My vacay was nice, but I am glad to be home. :)

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  4. I loved this mani the first time you showed it, tad deformed owl and all. <3 I really like Fowl Play. It looks like some kind of jam. :D

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    1. Hehehe!! Aww the poor little deformed guy! :( I think he knew was loved anyways. ;)
      Do you have Fowl Play in your stash? If not, I have two words for you: GET IT! :P

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you so much!! I was quite thrilled with how it turned out! And thank you for stopping by and following. :D It's always nice to know someone is reading a post or two. :)

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