Early sunsets

I did an orange gradient to capture a fall sunset.  I then used various stamping plates featuring Halloween images to decorate the nail.  The colors used in the gradient are all China glaze polishes.... Kalarahi kiss. Roguish red and orange you hot.  Stamped with Konad black.

April Showers #2 - Ladybugs - Elle - About Thyme

Last weekend I was at Kohls shortly after they set up the Elle display of nail polishes,  so I had to take a look.  Two colors caught my eye,  this green was one of them.  Its called About Thyme.   It is a great formula that covers in one coat.   The picture of the color below is without a top coat, it is so smooth and shiny...its hard to cover up its natural shine.

With todays theme,  I am using my tattoo as inspiration.  my tattoo is located on my right ankle and represents my two daughters.  One lady bug has 6 spots and one has 2;  they represent 2006 and 2002 the years they were born.

To create the lady bug I made a dot of red konad special polish on my nail and then used shany plate SH12 and Konad special black to stamp the lady bugs on the nails.
And of course topped it all with Seche Vite.

Check out these other talented ladies doing this April Showers Challenge with me!


-          http://diypolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-challenge-day-2-lady-bugs.html
-          http://www.agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-challenge-day-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://mandyspolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-challenge-lady-bugs.html
-          http://charlottes-nails.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/april-showers-challenge-ladybirds.html
-          http://creativenaildesignbysue.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-showers-bring-may-flowers.html
-          http://www.manicurator.com/2012/04/april-showers-bring-may-flowers.html
-          http://rusticcomfort.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-challenge-day-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://polished-prisms.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://footballandfingernails.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-showers-challenge-ladybugs.html
-          http://kayonolan.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-challenge-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://countingdowntobliss.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-challenge-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://allthispolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-challenge-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://karinea0a.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-2-ladybugs.html
-          http://countingdowntobliss.blogspot.com/2012/04/asbmf-challenge-2-ladybugs.html

Thanks for reading and keep painting!

Itsy Bitsy Bikini!

One of the things my sisters and I try to do each time I come into town is a sister sleep over.  This gives all the kids a chance to be with their cousins and my sisters and I get a chance to catch up!

So I brought some of my nail supplies so we can play and experiment with my toys.  Unfortunately I cannot travel with 140 different polishes, so I just brought 14 - the ones I knew they didn't have in their stashes.

I didn't take many pictures unfortunately but I did snap one of my daughers nails - she wanted tiny bikinis on her nails.

The base coat is Silver Sweep and the Bikinis are stamped with Konad Special Red, SH Chrome Red, KleanColor Purple Metallic and KleanColor Green Metallic.  The plate used was Shany SH09.

It was a big hit with her cousins and her aunts!

Thanks for reading!  Keep Painting!

The design and the Nubbin

 I chipped my nails at work and we had softball practice to get to this week, so I did a quick manicure. I didn't take any in between polish pictures due to the time restrictions.

The base coat of this manicure is Klean Color Golden Nightmare - black creme with gold glitter.

I stamped with half Klean Color Metallic Purple and Metallic Green.  A pseudo gradient.

I used Cheeky Plate A for the full nail design and then Shany plate SH24 on the accent finger. (Using Sally Hansen Silver Sweep)

While I was out, I managed to catch my ring finger nail on the edge of a trash can, and it ripped clean off! :(

I was so disappointed, my nails had finally all gotten beyond the end of my fingers and were fairly even.  :(  There is no way to make them all even, so I left the others the same length as the other one grows out. 

My Birthday Manicure

Today I turned 36!  I have been thinking of what to do for my nails for my birthday.  So,  I asked a few ladies over at Adventures in Stamping on facebook, and they suggested cupcakes.  So I did it.

I started with a base of Klean Color Neon Pink.  This color is opaque in one coat - but I gave it two coats for even top coat.  Then covered it with Seche Vite before I stamped on top.

Then using Shany Plate (Will get number later) and Konad white, I striped the cupcake papers on the base of my finger nails.  I then used Revlon Popular to tone down the Konad white and add a but of a sparkle to the cupcake papers design.

Then using white acrylic paint I painted on the frosting and added a dab of fine pink glitter.  Then using top coat I attached pink rhinestones and covered it all with Seche Vite.  I didn't do a cupcake on my left thumb, I painted my age!  I giant 36, I am proud to be 36 and I don't feel it!  I am so happy with the results I am not removing it just yet.  I am going to enjoy it another day!

My Apologies for the Lack of Posts!

Its been a crazy week at my house!  It is my birthday week, so I think it's a good excuse.  So here are some manicures I did this week.

Wedding White

Argyle Pattern from Cheeky A Plate

Comet Red by Maybelline with Silver Sweep Tip using Shany plate.

Wet n Wild Wet Cement

Cheeky Plate - Birthday Present from my In-laws.  :)  Stamped with Klean Color Sapphire - reminded me of a peacock feather.

I will get more detailed later!

Thanks for reading.

Large Flowers - Adventures in Stamping - We stamp on Sundays

This weeks challenge on Adventures in Stamping on Facebook was a manicure with Large Flowers.  Unfortunately with my limited selection of nail plates (Buying slowly) I only had two to choose from and I wasn't really happy with either one. 

For basecoat I used Klean Color Americano
Then I stamped a trellis like design using Klean Color Espresso with my Cheeky A plate
Then stamped a Konad red flower using Shany SH11.

Thanks for Reading!

The manicure design that started it all

A couple months ago while browsing various blogs around the net I came across http://chloesnails.blogspot.com/  She did an amazing manicure with matte black tips.  I thought it was so amazing I started the search around town for the Matte top coat.  I am trying to stay on a light budget when it comes to my nails, with my husband being in school and me working full time, I don't have alot of extra money.  So I wasn't going to be paying >$5 for a matte top coat.  And I wanted a top coat, so I could make any of the polishes I have at home matte.   So I stopped at K-mart on my way home from work yesterday, I had heard they had some good deals on polish. Well low and behold NYC has a matte top coat for only $1.99!!  It was the only one left, so I grabbed it.  I was so thrilled I couldn't wait to get home and try to recreate Chloe's nails.

I started with Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Cherry Red as the base coat

Then using Konad Special Black and the Shany tip plate SH06 I covered the tips

Gave the manicure a top coat of Seche Vite - for the high gloss shine.

I then carefully brushed the matte top coat just on the tips of the nails.

I

I was so happy with how it turned out, it would be the perfect accompaniment to a little black dress.  And you could even dress it up with a silver stripe between the colors or a rhinestone or two.

Thanks for reading!!

Sunday Stamping Challenge - March 11th - Circles

For this weeks challenge I didn't have much choice when it came to a circle stamp.  My plate selection is still fairly small, my birthday is in two weeks so I hope I will have more! So I had to do with what I had.

Yesterday afternoon I attempted my first gradient on my nails, I wanted a pink and purple gradient as a base for my sunday challenge.  Well it was a miserable failure!

I started with a base of Savvy Ice Pink, beautiful light satin pink.

Then using Wet and Wild - On a trip along the tips and attempted to pull it down to create the gradient - complete failure!

So I ended up blending the purple all the way down and creating a marble looking nail - not too bad and not bad enough to try again.  :)

I struggled to find a deep enough color to show up on the base so I went with a simple silver to stamp the circles.  I then added rhinestones to accentuate the circles.

All Nails with Rhinestones

Close up view of three fingers

Thanks for reading!!

Nothing too complicated - or inventive tonight!

I had a rough commute home tonight.  It took me 2 hours to get home when it normally only takes me 15 minutes!  They closed two of the three lanes of a major bridge on Interstate 95 in Richmond.  What a headache!!  So when I got home I was exhausted, but my nails suffered something awful today at work - and I broke off the corners of three nails too!  What a crappy day.  So here is what I did tonight, not too happy with the result - I'm sure I will be doing them again tomorrow.

The base coat is Sinful Colors Cinderella, it took 3 coats to be semi-opaque.  If I was patient I would have put on 4 for the most even coverage.

 Then I continued my love for holo by using Klean Color Holo Pink over the cinderella - to enhance the pink already in the polish.

Then used Shany plate SH18 for a simple flower in Konad White.  And a single top coat of Seche Vite for the mirror like shine.  :)

All my pics are taken with my cell phone,  so they are not the greatest quality and never show the true beauty of holographic polishes.