Try Something Tuesdays-Saran Wrap Mani

Try Something Tuesday has rolled around again and I knew exactly what I wanted to do-Saran Wraps-but boy did I underestimate how annoying these would be to get right. I ended up redoing my left hand completely half way through which made me pretty grumpy and I almost wanted to give up on the whole thing. I'm glad I didn't though, I do actually really like the effect even if it was a pain in the bum to get right.
In the UK we don't seem to have access to this mythical Saran Wrap (I don't think) but I watched a couple of videos and it looks like a cross between cling film and cellophane (in that it stays rolled up in a ball if you scrunch it, but is definitely a bit crinklier and not as sticky-to-itself as cling film.). I went hunting around my kitchen for something that would work as effectively-cling film, kitchen foil and kitchen roll were my chosen subjects, and in the end I didn't use any of them! Cling film seems to be too smooth when it's scrunched up, it forms a ball that doesn't have enough rough edges to pick up the polish, foil is good but too sharp in that it punched all the way through my base colour as well, and kitchen roll is useless and fluffy.
I know I've read Saran Wrap tutorials where people used bits of old carrier bag, and was just about to go downstairs again (NB I do my nails in my attic bedroom, the kitchen is a long way away!) to liberate one when I saw something in my room that might work-bubble wrap! Now while it doesn't stay scrunched up in little balls like the rest, I ended up using this because it seemed to give the right effect as well as some slightly interesting patterns from the bubbles themselves, and it was a relief to find something that actually worked properly. I will probably try with carrier bags in the future though.

On to the mani. I knew I wanted a red base and wanted something that would work well with it rather than contrast against it for my top layers so I chose gold and silver metallic polishes. I used Number 7-Siren for my base, it's a very luxurious, proper red colour and applies very nicely. On top of that I used Loreal-Valiant and Colour Me-Pure Gold. These two look lovely together, as neither is a true gold or silver-Valiant is more of a metallic shimmery gun metal, and Pure Gold is a bit tarnished, less yellow than an actual gold colour.

Taken without flash to show that you can see the gold too

These were quite difficult to photograph, think the pattern is a little bit subtle for my camera, nevertheless I did my best. I was going to do the pattern the other way around on my thumb but decided in the end to freehand triangles onto them for ease (and because it was now 1am by this point and I couldn't be bothered any more!)

Overall then, I do like this technique, it gives interesting an fun patterns that are still delicate and subtle enough not to overwhelm, I'll definitely be doing it again only hopefully with less faff next time! At least now I know what works and what doesn't, I guess. I've seen some awesome ones with two layers of colours used on top which also look pretty cool, so I might have a go at that at some point too.

Edit 27/2
Actually the longer I wear this the more I like it, it's really quite pretty in bright light and every nail is different and in dull light you can tell there's a shiny pattern but it's not overwhelming. Ticks all the boxes, will definitely be doing this again!

~Nail Art Novice~