I think this is the ultimate pink combination–it’s the pinkest pink I think I’ve ever personally accomplished.  It’s like a 12-year old girl birthday party overload of obnoxious pink, a from-the-invitations-to-the streamers type pink.

The almost headache-inducing pinkness of this manicure was clearly made for a Pink Wednesday post, so I saved it to pull out today.  It starts with Essie’s Strawberry Shortcake, a very frosty kind of late eighties pink color.  To me it seems almost so dated and gaggy pink and over the top that it crosses over and becomes ironic and great–I really liked it!  It’s so emphatic and kind of silly.  It reminds me of Barbie packaging.

I found this retail packaged Strawberry Shortcake on a display at Target with California Coral and a few other colors that said they were Target exclusives, but if you check out the fine print on the bottom, it says something like “also in salons.”  So while these polishes won’t be in the WalGreen’s Essie displays, they should still be easy to find at salons or at various e-tailers.

The formula on this wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t horrible, either.  My pictures show three coats, and you can still see a little bit of visible nail line.  It wasn’t quite as noticeable in person, and the formula wasn’t as runny as some really frosty colors can be.  If you can’t deal with frosts, then this polish is not for you.  It’s almost blindingly full of white shimmer that is going to leave brushstrokes behind even with thin coats.  Maybe it’s just that it’s kind of a fun palate cleanser from so many chic, greyed, tasteful and modern Diors and Chanels, but this polish is like candy in a bottle and makes me kind of feel giggly.  It’s a good choice for a weekend.

To up the intensity more, I layered two coats of OPI’s I Lily Love you on top.  My original review of I Lily Love You is here. I Lily Love You already has a bit of this way-girly giggly feeling of its own, so these two worked nicely together.  It’s like a crazy funfetti cupcake on your fingernails, very sugary.  I like that the pink base of I Lily Love You darkens Strawberry Shortcake just slightly – Strawberry Shortcake is the ideal darkness to have a lot of pink color itself but still show the translucent pink of I Lily Love You.  This combination is really pretty in the sun.

This picture shows how dense and shimmery the glitter in I Lily Love You looks, even in less direct light.

When I need a break from greys and browns, I’m definitely pulling this combination out again.  I can see it coming in handy in late November, when the sky starts to get dark early-it would be even a bit sillier and more incongruous then.  Barbie pink to the rescue!