Monkey See, Monkey Do Monday

And I'm actually posting MSMD *on* Monday this week. ^_^ I've seen nail art done in top coat on matte polish before, but I was using a particular piece of nail art as inspiration this week, so I felt that even though I wasn't copying the design exactly, it was close enough to qualify for Monkey See, Monkey Do. And how appropriate is it that I'm copying a manicure from Copy That, Copy Cat?

Linda didn't specify what polish she used in her manicure, but it sure looks like that's Avon Matte Black as Night. (I don't own this polish, but I am awesome with the google, I am.)

While I love the matte finish, I dislike how quickly matte polish chips off my thin, flexible nails (we're talking hours, here - matte polish hasn't lasted a day without patches coming off, though I'll add the caveat that I only own two matte polishes, so that's not a statistically significant sample, there!) so instead of using a matte polish, I used a matte top coat. While it will still chip off quicker than a mani sealed with Seche Vite, it will at least last through the next day after I put it on. I took a lot of different pictures at different angles, and none of them are as great as CTCC's photography, and I don't think any of them stand out as "the best" picture I took either, so here's one randomly chosen:

I used Nubar Forest and OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys for my base colors - one on each hand, with an accent on the ring finger using the color from the opposite hand. Two coats of the base colors were more than opaque and smooth, so I then topped it off with NYC Matte Me Crazy. I used China Glaze No-Chip Top Coat, a nail art brush, and a dotting tool, to add the shiny designs on top.

Other bloggers who are doing the Monkey See, Monkey Do Mondays have a little widget to include other bloggers who are participating. I can't seem to get the "Then click to get the InLinkz code so you can add this collection to your own blog too!!" link to work for me, so instead, I'll send you over to Amber Did It's post, who does have the listing of other participants! :)

I've got a question for you (look, the interactive part of the post!) Seriously, though, I'm honestly curious - what do you say to Nuggles who ask you, "How do you get that so perfect?!" I look at that accent nail in the picture right above this and think, "The inner and outer petals aren't separated on that one - I totally slipped with the brush and the two lines merged into one!" How is that perfect? Or the center nail on my right hand, where one line of the petal is totally blobby, and the tips don't even meet on the inner *or* outer petals. I could continue to list off how maybe half my nails look exactly how I wanted them to look...but none of that is what my Nuggle co-worker wants to hear...and I don't want to come across as if I'm criticising myself, either, because I totally love this manicure. When I create a manicure that is just a fail and not what I wanted in the first place, I take it off. But by no means is this anywhere near perfect. So what do you say to this question?

Lots more pictures after the cut. Click through for picture spam! (Just don't ask me which ones are with and without flash, because I don't remember. ;)