Taped Flakies

So I've been home sick for a couple of weeks now and I thought trying out a new manicure would be a for sure pick-me-up. Now maybe my expectations were just too high, but this manicure did not excite me as much as I had hoped. 

I started with 2 coats of NARS Saratoga. The formula was nice, but I think I would wear 3 coats to make it even and opaque on its own.

Then I put on 1 coat of Nfu Oh 51 and 1 coat of OPI Rapid Dry top coat. I had really high hopes for Nfu Oh 51; I've seen some fantastic swatches of it and was sooo excited to try it on my own nails for the first time. Honestly, I was underwhelmed. Maybe I should have done more than one coat or used a different base color ... I will certainly try those things in the future. This photo is no flash under a fluorescent lamp.

While I was trying things for the first time. I also wanted to do my first taped mani. It was easier than I thought it would be. I taped off the corner of each nail and added a layer of Essie Matte About You.

In some lights the whole manicure is underwhelming, not much flakie goodness and the matte corners look like there's some strange layer of glue on my nails. The photo below is inside with flash.

In other lights, you can really see the gold/orange/green flashes from Nfu Oh and I like how different it looks from anything I've done before. 

What do you think? Were my expectations just too high? Suggestions for next time?

See you again soon!