Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!! I really love MLK Day, and not just because I don't have to go to school or work today. I love it because it celebrates the life and work of someone who has had a huge impact on my life and on the lives of every single black person in the USA. Thanks to him and others like him, we can go wherever we want, do whatever we want, sit wherever we want, and best of all, hang out with whomever we want. I know that racism isn't all dead, but instead of complaining about how much work still has to be done, I think it's better to celebrate how far this nation has come. And we've come a really really long way, so claps and snaps for us! n_n
On this wonderful day, I have on Urban Oasis and Teal Sparkle, which make up Creative Nail Design's Night Factory Set. I won these a while ago from a giveaway at My Lucid Bubble, but I've been saving them for today. I thought it would be fitting to have a duo, since MLK Day is supposed to be about togetherness and unity and other such nice things.
First up, we have Urban Oasis.
Urban Oasis is a slightly dusty and slightly dark teal creme.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
I love Urban Oasis! It's such a beautiful color, and really dynamic too. Firstly, it's darker on the nail than in the bottle...when it's wet, it's the same color, but it dries a few shades darker. Then, in brighter light, it leans more to the blue side of teal, and in lower light, it darkens a bit and leans much more green. It also has a hint of grey to it, which makes it more modern, urban, and chic than a normal teal creme. Typically, I ignore CND, so I'm really happy to have won this particular polish...it's such a pretty color and fills a giant void in my collection to boot.
Urban Oasis's formula was top notch as well...it was smooth, creamy, pleasantly thick and well-pigmented. It was fully opaque and perfect in one coat, although I ended up using two for security. It also dried quickly, although topcoat was needed to give it a boost in the shine department.
After wearing Urban Oasis alone for a few hours, I added Teal Sparkle to the mix.
Teal Sparkle is a slightly milky base chock full of flat, multi-sized green shimmer. The shimmer is also slightly duochrome, flashing blue in certain lights. It reminds me a bit of the particles in Zoya Charla. Or maybe Ivanka.
Sunlight, no flash.
Natural light, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Natural light, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Sunlight, no flash.
Teal Sparkle is so pretty!! As its name implies, it's nice and sparkly, and it also changes tone according to light. In sunlight, it gives Urban Oasis this iridescent glass-flecked look, and in lower light, it looks much more green and shimmery. Like fish scales, kind of. Surprisingly, I did prefer Urban Oasis on its own, but I can't wait to experiment with Teal Sparkle over other colors.
Formula-wise, it was pretty standard, going on smoothly and drying fast. And even though I tried to use only a very little bit, I still ended up with quite a bit of shimmer on the nail. That's ordinarily a good thing, because the bottle is small (.33 oz) and since a little goes a long way, it'll probably last a long time.
And that is all I've got for today! Thanks for reading, and have a most excellent Martin Luther King Jr. Day!! :D
