China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy Gradient

Today I have a really fun gradient. I have done sponge gradients before, but I saw a new technique on Wacky Laki so I had to try it. She also gave a link to a video about the technique that Layniefingers posted. To do this mani I started with three coats of China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, with a coat of Seche Vite on top, below. This picture doesn't do this polish any justice! It's a beautiful bright pink neon... and it barely looks neon at all in my pictures! Lame.

To do the sponging technique I mentioned, I used three colors and painted them directly on the edge of the sponge. I used China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Color Club Warhol and Milani Cool Vibe. As you can see in the below pictures, I painted 3 stripes that touched each other onto the sponge. I put it on fairly thick because the first line or two will soak right into the sponge. Then I put it over the nail and bounced it up and down until I got the desired look.

As you can see it made quite a mess! I repeated this on each of my nails, using a new sponge each time. Then I followed it with Seche Vite top coat. The pictures don't really show off how bright this mani was. It was bright neon and it practically was glowing in the sun. It was also a much more subtle gradient then the way my pictures seemed to want to capture it... I really loved it! It's a fun technique to try and it would be great for lots of different colors.

Effie's Hunger Game Inspired Nails

Hi there - I have another Hunger Games mani for you today! If you have seen the movies... and have a nail obsession like myself - then I am sure you noticed Effie's nails in the movie! I was in love with her nails at the beginning of the movie when she was drawing names for the reaping, and I have been wanting to try them ever since I saw it. Below is a picture I found on Yahoo! images of Effie's nails, which inspired my mani today.

So, here is the version that I came up with!

My nails aren't the same shape as hers, which I think takes away from it a bit and it's not as soft of a gradient in between the colors. But regardless, I really like the color combo. To do this mani I started with two coats of Milani Cool Vibe with a coat of Seche Vite on top, below.

Then I took a piece of a faux sea sponge and used Ulta High Roller to sponge on the tips. Then I put a coat of Seche Vite on top to seal everything in. Thanks for looking!







Misa Grey Matters & China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise Stamp

To do this mani I used two coats of Misa Grey Matters on my index, middle and pinky. On my thumb and ring finger I used two coats of China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise. Below is a picture of these two colors before I used my stamp.

First of all, I wanted to say how much I LOVE Grey Matters - it's such a nice color! It's a warm grey and with darker flecks in it. I don't know if it's all that obvious in these pictures but I haven't seen anything quite like it. It kind of reminds me of wet sand, except grey instead of tan, lol. You may know what I am talking about... if you have ever looked closely at sand it has darker flecks in it?? It had really nice coverage and I could have probably gotten away with one neat coat. Turned Up Turquoise on the other hand is really thin and the first coat was very streaky, two coats evened it out fairly well though. It doesn't look anything like this in real life though. It photographed very blue, when it's really bright and pretty turquoise, a lot more green than it shows up here. Also, this has Seche Vite on top, it dries with a slightly matte finish.

To stamp, I used the Bundle Monster plate BM-222. I stamped with Milani Neon Fresh Teal on top of Grey Matters, and then on top of Turned Up Turquoise I stamped with Sally Hansen Wet Cement. I used these just to give a little more of a contrast with the stamp. I sealed everything in with Seche Vite.

PS - Do you noticed how my polish looks wrinkled on my index finger? This happened AFTER I put on Seche Vite but I have never had this happen before... so odd! It is smooth to the touch, it's almost as if Grey Matters wrinkled up slightly underneath the top coat as it dried? hmmm.

Valentine's Day Kisses Mani

I have seen many bloggers use this stamp for mani's before, but I really wanted to do this for Valentine's Day!

This is two coats of Sinful Colors Secret Admirer. On my ring finger I topped it with a coat of Milani Jewel FX Glitter in Red, Silver and then Red again with a coat of Seche Vite on top. On the rest of my fingers I used a Bundle Monster stamping plate BM02, and stamped the kiss design with Butter London Knees Up and an old Maybelline Mirror Image kit I bought years ago at the dollar store. It doesn't have a color name on it - they call it "Step 2: Mirror Finish Top Coat" of the kit. It's the shiniest silver I own, and it reminds me of pictures that I see of China Glaze Millennium... which I really would love to own. :) Thanks for looking!

Milani Hi-Res & Sephora by OPI Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild

My friend Debby gave me this gorgeous Sephora by OPI glitter that I had been dying to use. I used three coats of Sephora by OPI Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild on my ring finger and thumb. On my index, middle and pinky I used two coats of Milani Hi-Res. I put a coat of Seche Vite on everything.  Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild doesn't look as pretty in these pictures as it does in real life. The bigger chunks of glitter are slightly darker and it's SO shiny and pretty. I apologize for the tip wear, I had this on a day before I took these pictures. Thanks for looking!

Christmas Bundle Monster Mani

I have been a little behind in my blogging, but luckily I have still had time to do some Christmas designs - just no chance to post them! So, even though we've passed Christmas I have several designs that I want to share. I don't think this one was really successful, I did too much and I think with less stamping this mani could have been much cuter! The only nail I am that happy with is my ring finger with the mistletoe.

To do this mani:

Thumb - Two coats of Ulta High Roller. To stamp the Christmas bulbs I used Bundle Monster plate BM-225 stamping with China Glaze City Siren and Sinful Colors Last Chance.

Index - Two coats of China Glaze Glittering Garland. The stamp is Bundle Monster plate BM-223 with Ulta High Roller.

Middle - One coat of China Glaze Poinsettia, followed by one coat of China Glaze Ring in the Red. I stamped the Christmas tree with Sinful Colors Last Chance and Bundle Monster plate BM-205.

Ring - Two coats of Milani Good Morning Sunshine. The stamp is Bundle Monster BM14 with Sinful Colors Last Chance. I added some red rhinestones over the berries on the stamp.

Pinky - One coat of China Glaze Glittering Garland, one coat of China Glaze Ring in the Red, and one coat of China Glaze Medallion.

Each finger has a coat of Seche Vite on top.

Milani 3D Holographic Polish

I own four of the Milani 3D Holographic Collection. I have been waiting for the sun to be out for WEEKS so I could get the chance and swatch these babies. The following pictures are each with 3 thin coats of polish, no base coat and no top coat. I really don't think that these pictures do these polishes justice, out in the sun they are very pretty and you can see a lot of the rainbow that my pictures barely caught. Enjoy!

Milani Hi-Tech:

Indoor - no flash

Sunlight

Evening sunlight

Milani Digital:

Indoor - no flash

Sunlight

Sunlight

Milani 3D:

Indoor - no flash

Sunlight

Milani Cyberspace:

Indoor - no flash

Sunlight

Sunlight

Milani Bare to Wear

This is Milani Bare to Wear, and I saw a swatch of this on Rachel Marie's blog, and I wanted to have it for myself! I thought the formula on this was a bit watery, and it had a tendency to want to puddle into my cuticle. In these pictures I only used two coats, but it probably could have used three because I had a few bald spots on the nail. I think it's a really pretty color though, and I don't have anything like this in my collection.

 Indoor - no flash

Indoor - no flash

Indoor - with flash

I think the first two pictures (without flash) show what this looks like in person, the last picture makes the polish seem a little... purple maybe? It doesn't feel purple to me though. Also, sorry about the smudge on my pinky - my ring finger decided to get a bit close when I wanted to take pictures! :)

White Party Nails

I had to take a break from Halloween nails because my boyfriend's sister had an AMAZING 40th birthday bash this weekend - and it was a white party.  I had silver, grey and black accessories, so I did this mani to go with my outfit. It was inspired by Cosmetic Cupcake, again! She is so creative :-D

To do this mani I used:

Index -Two coats of Revlon Matte Suede in Powder Puff, one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust, and then I used my Kiss Nail Art Striper in Grey to make vertical lines down the nail.

Middle - Two coats of Color Club Worth the Risque. I stamped the fishnet design using Color Club Revvvolution stamped from Konad plate M57.

Ring - One coat of OPI Your Royal Shine-ness, with two coats of Milani Jewel FX in Silver.

Pinky - Two coats of Sally Hansen Wet Cement, with one coat of Nubar 2010. I added little sprigs using my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in black, and then I added a clear square rhinestone.

Thumb - Two coats of OPI Your Royal Shine-ness, with one coat of Nubar 2010. I stamped the flower design with Color Club Revvvolution from Konad plate M57. I also added another square rhinestone. The stamp doesn't show up very dark in these pictures, but it was a much stronger contrast in person.

Everything has Seche Vite topcoat on it. I think this turned out really cute, and I received lots of compliments on it which is always fun!

Look at that shine :)

I had to do a close up of the beautiful holographic polish ... love!

Thanks for looking!

Nail Art

I wanted to go through more of my nail pictures and add them to my blog. Here it goes....

 I did this one for my cousin's wedding, and the necklace in this picture is the one I wore with my dress. This is two coats of Rimmel London Bare Naked, then I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in Gold and painted lines down my nails, then in between each line I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in clear glitter. Seche Vite on top.

I saw this design again on the Pretty Project Tumblr, which was originally posted from here. This is two coats of China Glaze For Audrey, then I used my dotting tool and put dots first using Sally Hansen White On, then Revlon Minted, and finally Ulta Taupe on a Rope. Seche Vite on top.

I saw this idea on Cosmetic Cupcake, I used some different colors. I started with two coats of Rimmel London Bare Naked, then put a thick stripe of Sinful Colors Soul Mate in varying areas on my nails. On top I added plaid lines using Color Club Art Club nail art brush in White. Seche Vite on top.

I saw this idea on Youtube, where Cutepolish offers a great tutorial. First I put down two coats of Sally Hansen White On, then after it dried I dipped my nails into rubbing alcohol, then pressed a piece newspaper down onto the nail and the newsprint transferred. I sealed it in with a coat of Seche Vite.

This is two coats of Finger Paints Artist's Inspiration. I added a few stripes starting with It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in White, Black, Yellow and Sinful Colors Nail Art in Sunset. Seche Vite on top.



 I saw this idea on Chloe's Nails, she does amazing Scotch tape manis. I did this by painting my nails first with Sally Hansen Black Out, then put a coat of Seche Vite to help it dry. When it wasn't tacky anymore I used craft scissors that I bought at Wal-Mart and cut Scotch tape with them. I put the tape down on half my nail and painted the bare area with Sally Hansen Wet Cement, and pulled off the tape immediately after painting. I repeated this for each nail and then added Seche Vite on top to smooth things over.

This is two coats of Butter London Wallis, then on my ring finger I used strips of Scotch tape to create a little design with Color Club Revvvolution. Again, I saw this technique on Chloe's Nails blog. Seche Vite on top.

This is two coats of Finger Paints Catwalk Queen. I taped off the skin around my nail using Scotch tape and then used a straw and Ulta Deep Desire to create the splatter design. I dipped the end of the straw in Deep Desire then placed it over my nail and blew into the other end of the straw. Seche Vite on top.

This was inspired by Cosmetic Cupcake because she does amazing nail art and has every nail something different, in the same color scheme. I did this one to go with a dress for my friend's bachelorette party!

• Thumb - Two coats of Finger Paints Catwalk Queen, then I used my dotting tool to create cheetah print using Sally Hansen Black Out, and accented it with Finger Paints Figure of Art.
• Index Finger - Two coats of Rimmel London Bare Naked, then I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in Gold and painted lines down my nails, then in between each line I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in clear glitter.
• Middle Finger - Two coats of Ulta High Roller, then I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in Black to create some zebra-ish stripes.
• Ring Finger - One coat of Ulta High Roller, then two coats of Milani Jewel FX in Gold.
• Pinky - Two coats of Sinful Colors Stella, one coat of Sinful Colors All About You, then I painted little sprigs using my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in Black. I added a gold rhinestone on top. Seche Vite on top of every finger.

Two coats of Orly Love Each Other. Hand painted tips with Sally Hansen White On, added red lines under the tips using then I used my It's So Easy, Stripe Rite nail art striper in Red, then added some zebra stripes using Color Club Art Club nail polish in Glitter Black. Seche Vite on top.

This was for my friend's wedding that I was in, I did this for the rest of the bridesmaids. Her colors were dark brown (like the tip) and light blue and she helped me come up with this design! This is two coats of Finger Paints Artist's Inspiration followed with a coat of China Glaze Crackle Glaze in Cracked Medallion. I hand painted the tips using Sinful Colors Rich in Heart and painted lines underneath using Color Club Art Club nail art striper in Light Blue. I added some nail art stuff I got at Sally Beauty and then put Seche Vite on top.

Index, middle and pinky is two coats of Color Club Wild at Heart. Thumb and ring finger is two coats of Revlon Facets of Fuschia.

Two coats of Ulta Tutu Cute, one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust. I put some nail art stuff from Sally Beauty on my ring finger. Fairy Dust is an amazing holographic top coat.

Two coats of Borghese Rapido Limoncello with one coat of OPI Turquoise Shatter. Seche Vite on top.

Two coats of OPI Your Royal Shine-ness with Servin' Up Sparkle on top, then OPI Turquoise Shatter. Seche Vite on top.