Inspired by a Song: Ruby & Millie Red

Day 22 of The Challenge is to create a manicure inspired by a song. The song I chose is "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill. Are you all up to date on your Riot Grrrl trivia? (Cricket noise.) No? Well, here's your chance to get started! Bikini Kill changed my life. They are THAT BAND for me. Kathleen Hanna, one of their members, is my hero. Listening to this band gave me that sense of belonging, and let me know I wasn't the only person feeling this way. In short, it made me realize there was a word to describe what I was feeling, and that word is feminism. Well, feminism is the movement that supported my feelings.

Anyway, first up: nails! Then: Bikini Kill related things.

I chose the cleverly named Red by Ruby & Millie. I chose a red polish for this because red is a prominent color in the "Rebel Girl" music video, and also a prominent color for photos and other things related to Bikini Kill. That could just be because I love the color red and I'm drawn to it. At any rate, this polish is a really pretty and shimmery. It would make a good Christmas color. It applied incredibly smoothly, and I needed just two coats for opacity. I also think the bottle design (which admittedly I did not do a good job of showing) is really nice. My only issue is that it took FOREVER to dry. I smudged it multiple times in the few hours after I applied it, which I attributed to my clumsiness and the fact that I did yoga about 20 minutes after slappin' on some top coat. However, the next day it was still not dry! I could easily dent my nails with the slightest movement.

I'm still pleased with it, despite the drying issues. I love that the color shifts depending on the light (in the bright light, some of the pink tones come out; in darker lighting, the red looks deeper). Maybe I'll try it with a different top coat and see what happens.

Now, on to some Bikini Kill!

 

The video for "Rebel Girl". The song is only a couple minutes long, so give it a listen!

Members of Bikini Kill recoding. See what I mean by the red?! Also I'd kill for a faux leopard print jacket like that!

I love Kathleen's red streaks!

So, what do you think? Did you listen to "Rebel Girl"? I realize feminist punk rock is perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.