Baltimore Oriole nails - Fair Maiden Mindfreak

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 Everybody has a quarantine hobby, and mine is birdwatching.  Being able to get out into the world for a hike meant that I got to see so many new wonderful things while the rest of the world was closed, and this is utterly responsible for my ongoing sanity.  Now that things are gradually opening up again, I don't find that anything about this in particular has changed - my love of nature zen is still going strong.

indoor, CF lighting

Still being very new to the hobby (just a year of birds, and of course only those in my local area), I'm still constantly surprised and delighted by new-to-me species.  Baltimore Orioles are summertime residents in this area, returning in spring and raising their kiddos here, then leaving for the tropics in the fall.  Despite my looking for them all last summer, no luck, and many people in the local birding groups lament the lack of these bright citrus-colored jewels being lured to their feeders.

OMG!!!!

The first time I saw one of these black-and-orange flames, I saw 4 of them.  Nomming on some worms, flying around with straw for a nest, breeding, everything.  It was truly magical, and just 2 weeks ago.  The following weekend, two more Orioles at a different park!

outdoor, late afternoon daylight

Nail inspiration like that just can't be ignored, yet orange is just not my jam.  Conveniently the ONE orange polish I have is liberally dashed with feathery flakes so is just perfect for this nail art look.

outdoor, shady daylight

I passed the first time Fair Maiden released Mindfreak with Polish Pickup (again, orange, it's just not me), but was easily swayed with all the stunning swatch photos from everyone who'd loved this.  When it came around again with last year's PPU rewind, I corrected that miss.

indoor, bright CF lighting

Mindfreak is a richly saturated candy orange jelly, full of charcoal flakes and gold holo microglitters.  It's a very POW in-your-face sort of polish, with lots of juicy jelly squish, a bright summertime look.

outdoor, shady daylight

I'm showing 2 coats here, and that despite the jelly formula that shows the flakies off so well, this was enough for visual opacity even in bright light.  

indoor, CF lighting

Baltimore Orioles have black wings with bold white bars across the middle, so I added an accent of abstract black & white to my ring & pinky nails using Nicole Diary 148.  This plate is an assortment of individual marble veins and cracks that's absolutely perfect for creating a stone marble look with sheer jelly polishes, or in this case, for adding a dash of accent right where you want it. 

outdoor, shady daylight

Rating:  a sparkly 4 out of 5 stars for Mindfreak - despite my lack of love for orange as a color, this polish is a welcome addition to my collection.  I can see using it again for a summery beach look, and of course in Halloween nail art.  The flakie-jelly formula looks like crackled glass, yet gave me no troubles on application - flakies are quite tame, and this wore better than jellies usually do on me.

Where to buy:  unless this comes back in another rewind, haunt blog sales & destashes to find it.

~Michelle

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