I came across a post on making your own gold and silver leaf top coats the other day on Candy Glaze.
She gives you a how-to-guide in making your own for a fraction of the cost so click on that link to learn for yourself!
I immediately purchased the sheets of gold and silver leaf from a thai website for US$5.90 + shipping (which is around US$3-4 to NZ) for 10 sheets of each. The gold is 24k while the Zoya and OPI only sport 18k, so that's a bit more decadent to start with!
The method on Candy Glaze is for 5 sheets (of around 3.5x3.5cm) per 5mL bottle. I bought Frankie's Plasma from Wonder Beauty Supplies in 15mL bottles and found that 10 sheets wasn't quite enough for a full sized bottle, so I poured a few mLs out.
The suspension base is pretty darn thick, so some thinner may be in order, but it's still a great and cheap way to have your own little pot of gold or silver for your fingernails. Considering OPI The Man With The Golden Gun is retailing for $74 in NZ, my $12 alternative would be worth it regardless of how it turned out!
The flakes sit fairly flat on the nail. I think 1 coat of Seche Vite would be all you need. I have a little more base in the silver so not as many flakes end up on the nail without a tad of fishing, but the gold one is a dream!
I haven't gotten any swatches yet because I'm trying to get the China Glaze Holiday Joy polishes photographed, but here are some close ups of my top coats:
Edit: some people asked for pics so ok, here's a really quick swatch of 1 coat of gold and 1 coat of the silver on my thumb:
The bubbles are just there because I've been shaking the bottles like hell to break up the flakes some and didn't let it settle before I applied it.
What's the most you are willing to pay for 1 bottle of polish?
xxx
NPA
It sounds like a great tip for diy, but how does it actually look on the nail? I haven't been hooked by Zoya or OPI version.
ReplyDeletelooks just like the others, click on the candy glaze link she has some nail wheel swatches
Deletethere you go some photos just for you
DeleteRealy want to see the silver top coat.
ReplyDeleteAre you serious about OPI? That's really expensive! They look awesome in the bottle, can't wait to see the swatches :)
ReplyDeletejust put some up and candy glaze has some too
Deleteyep the OPI realy is that expensive here! Normal OPI polish is $25-27 a bottle.
DeleteNow this is what I call a brilliant post thank you for sharing <3
ReplyDeletethanks Annie
DeleteGreat post! I've never seen a silver flakie topcoat before, I really like the combo of the gold & silver =) xx
ReplyDeleteYour top coats look great :D Greetings to NZ! You are sooooo far away and yet you know my little blog ... That's so cool!
ReplyDeleteHey Maki, thank you so much for the tutorial! I never would have thought to make my own otherwise!
DeleteAwesome polishes! Oooh *puts them on my To Make List*. Oh man, I bought an Essie and 2 OPI's for $25 each once. I think that's my limit. Almost everything can be bought cheaper online, including shipping, that's pretty sad. :)
ReplyDeleteI know!!! The last polish I bought retail was a BL All Hail The Queen and Orly Preamp because I was buying other stuff at Farmers and just couldn't resist. That was back in July I think...
DeleteHey, I'm not prepared to pay $74 for Man with the Golden Gun and this looks amazing! Would you be able to post the link to the seller you got your gold leaf from, please? And would clear nail polish work as a base? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDone. Maki from Candy Glaze used Essence Studio Nails Better than Gel Nails Top Sealer as her clear. The idea is to use a clear that is thick enough to keep the gold leaf suspended. If the clear is too thin, the flakes just sink to the bottom and you have to really work to get any gold leaf on your nails. I'm sure you can find alternatives to pure suspension base though.
Deleteoh great job!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to give this a try! Long time nail polish fan but never in my dreams would I think of making my own! Just wanted your thoughts about the suspending polish - is Franken the only one you've tried? are there any other brands? Im looking for inspiration (and to purchase!) on Etsy and any advice would be greatly appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThe only other suspension base I know of is at TKB trading (for US and maybe Canada) or Girly Bits sells some for US$3.25 and ships internationally.
DeleteThanks ive looked into TKB and unfortunately by law they cant ship hazadouse material.
DeleteI have found another website based in Australia: http://beautyworld.com.au/ and got in touch with them. Again shipping to NZ will be expensive but they're looking at a cheaper option that will be live end of Nov :)
This is super cool, I'm going to give it a try! How's the silver looking after a week in polish base? Any discolouration?
ReplyDeleteNope, it still looks normal... I think :)
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