OPI Get Cherried Away and KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster

Get Cherried Away was released by OPI as part of the limited edition Coca-Cola collection in late spring/early summer this year. It's a medium-dark lush purple creme with berried tones to it, almost but not quite a burgundy. There are similar colors out there that are not limited edition; OPI's Anti Bleak for one, although it appears to have just the tiniest touch more red in it. You can see an excellent swatch wheel comparison of these two on Paint Those Piggies, here. Another polish that's not quite as similar as Anti Bleak but still in the same family is Butter London's Queen Vic. Get Cherried Away is darker and more opaque than Queen Vic, and has more violet leanings while Queen Vic leans more red. You can see the comparison post I did of these two here. I'm sure there are others as well -- I think every brand should include this sort of berried purple/red-violet color in their line-up. It's a feminine purple with a gourmand sensibility to it, exuberant and dramatic enough to make a statement without being too edgy or in any way inappropriate for general consumption.

Get Cherried Away has a really nice formula. The consistency is fluid, creamy and smooth with an easy flow over the nail that makes it fun to apply. Pigmentation is excellent; in the right hands this polish could easily be a one coater. I used two coats, the second to finesse some lines on the first coat and to see if I could get this polish to level out and camouflage my furrowed nail beds. Got the lines straightened up for the most part but the camo was a no-go, as you will see. Cleanup was one of those deals where it's best to wait for the polish to set and dry a little before you go after any swipage lest the color from this well-pigmented puppy run and flood along the cuticle and sides of the nail. I wasn't careful enough with my cleanup and the photos show faint traces of pigment along a few of my cuticles, not so noticeable in person but the MACRO SEES ALL! Get Cherried Away dries naturally in average time to a glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Get Cherried Away over treatment and basecoat. No topcoat, as I'm going to layer KBShimmer's lovely topper Happily Ever Aster over this polish. I generally always use a quick dry topcoat. It adds gloss, levels out imperfections, helps to camo the ridges, protects the polish while drying and ensures drying of all the layers. Get Cherried Away feels naked without it!

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

OPI Get Cherried Away

Wow! Such ridge! Very frown! Use topcoat nxt time!

Happily Ever Aster was released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Summer 2014 collection this past June. This was a great collection for glitter crellies and toppers. Happily Ever Aster is one of the toppers, with a clear suspension base carrying abundant assorted glitters in a gentle floral-inspired mix: variously sized matte hexes in sky blue, lavender, aqua and white with small iridescent lavender hexes and tiny silver holo hexes. It's like a fairy-sized pastel pansy garden for your nails, complete with a magical sprinkling of rainbow sparks! So sweet and cheerful!

Application over Get Cherried Away was great. Happily Ever Aster's suspension base has a nice fluid quality that makes it easy to disperse the components using the plosh and spread or dabbing method. Glitter payoff is perfect with just the right amount of random glitters available in each brushful -- enough to cover most of your nail without overwhelming the base color. I used a few extra random dabs on some bare spots but otherwise did no special glitter placement. It kind of shows, too... I mean, maybe its just my pathological self-criticism but I just don't seem to have the most balanced touch when it comes to glitter toppers. I don't do them often enough, is what. I experienced a few tiny incidents of bleeding from Get Cherried Away onto the white glitters, but no problems otherwise. Happily Ever Aster dries naturally in good time to a shiny finish with a small amount of texture from the components.

Photos show one ploshed and spread coat of Happily Ever Aster over the Get Cherried Away manicure above with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster over OPI Get Cherried Away

I've seen Happily Ever Aster over a number of different colors and while I'm happy with my effort here it isn't my favorite. The base is a little dark and strange next to the aqua glitters, especially, I think. My nails remind me of a herd of varicolored appaloosa ponies! Of the ones I've seen, my favorite combos with Happily Ever Aster would probably be The PolishAholic's over the medium cocoa brown of Essie Fierce No Fear, here, and Love for Lacquer's over the orchid purple of KBShimmer's own Radiant Orchid, here -- KellieGonzo used the same combo in her post, here. I also like it over KBShimmer's Pansy-Monium, which Valesha of Peachy Polish did in her post, here. And an honorable mention to ChitChatNails for her use of Happily Ever Aster in a gradient over bare nails, here. 

The combinations of topper to base are so much fun to look at and think about. I enjoy them so much it's a wonder I don't do more of this kind of polishing myself. I didn't expect to love Happily Ever Aster as much as I do. I knew I would like it but it's just such a lovely mixture of colors and applies so beautifully that my attraction to it has combined with a lot of well-won admiration and the two together, well, you know how it goes.

To those of you who venture fearlessly and often into the vast world of glitter toppers and put them together with carefully chosen base colors to charm and delight the eyes of the rest of us, I salute you!

love,
Liz