Frozen Jewel

Hello lovely fellow nail stamping fans!

Thank you so much for your patience.  This post is long overdue, and I truly apologize for my absence.  As the title indicates, I have been "frozen" -  not literally, but I have really been finding it difficult to function as a normal human being these last few weeks.  Pah, enough grumbling...it's a brand new year!

★ ☆  ★ ☆  ★ ☆  ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆  ★ ☆ ★ ☆  ★

My Warmest Wishes 

 for 2015

★ ☆  ★ ☆  ★ ☆  ★ ☆  ★ ☆ ★ ☆  ★

This manicure is part of a nail art collaboration organised by Mary who created an amazing collage to start the new year off with a bang.  #NewYearManiCollage.   I have added her incredible collage as the finale of this post, so keep scrolling down to see it...

For my manicure, I decided to go for a cool wintery look to mark the start of a bright and fresh new year.  I included all the best things to complete this look:  a uk indie duochrome, double stamping DRK, MDU, and rhinestones!!!!!

I am also so happy to be back posting with A2Z nails and this week is the letter J for Jewel.

Huge finger

Before I get into further details for this mani,  I would like to give an extra special mention to my amazing friends:  Mariana, San, Sumeet and Elaine. Thank you all so much for being here for me. You have all helped me through winter and I really appreciate your friendship.

Mariana @StampingQueenBlog
https://www.facebook.com/stampingqueenblog

San @santie_nails
https://www.youtube.com/user/Sannejoey/videos

Sumeet @tales_of_coffee_lacquer_beauty (more information below)
http://talesofcoffeelacquerandbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

Elaine @LollyBlackHeart (more information below)
#FrightfullySpectacular

Bottle shot

I also need to give thanks to my amazing friend Marty, I am the proud owner of this Messy Mansion super soft stamper head.   This is part of a set of two stamper heads that come in a little tin.(http://www.messymansion.com.au/products/soft-stamper-set-with-tin.html).  For easy use, I placed the head in the lid of a nail polish remover bottle which acts perfectly as a holder.

Tools of the Trade

One final stamper note before moving on:  When I first saw the set of stamper heads they looked so shiny I didn't expect them to pick up any nail polish at all.  I was prepared for some serious priming, however, to my surprise, when I tested them out, they both picked up the image first time like a dream.  And in fact, they seem to perform better and stamp more reliably than any of my other stampers on all of the images I've tried them with.

Base colour:  Frightfully Spectacular, Happy New Year [By Abba] (Aqua with gold shimmer)

Base stamp colour:  Essie Mirror Metallics, 944 Blue Rhapsody
Base stamping plate:  DRK Themes:  Enlaced (left below)

Stamp colour for flourish:  Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 06. Pastel Blue
Stamping plate for flourish:  Born Pretty,  BP - L 008 (right below)
Rhinestones:  http://www.moyou.co.uk/nail-art-decoration-set-design-glitters-rhinestones/rhinestones-nail-art/1200-rhinestones.html

The Stamping Plates

I could not believe my luck when this gorgeous lacy DRK plate arrived for me over Christmas...I had drooled over the plate, but I hadn't ordered it!  Then I discovered it was a present to me from the wonderful Sumeet.  I simply could not wait to try it out, and this pretty intricate pattern was ideal to add a beautiful detailed background for my flourishes.

I am a gigantic fan of  Tales of Coffee,Lacquer and Beauty, Sumeet's fantastic blog.  The link is to her honest, informative reviews of stamping plates, but I would highly recommend her other posts and pages to anyone interested in nail art or indie nail polishes.  And if you are trying to figure out how to stamp your own nails, then look no further: Nail Stamping 101 has all your questions answered.

Frightfully Spectacular, Happy New Year

Here is the base colour for my manicure...I am wearing "Happy New Year" from Frightfully Spectacular. This is now, one of my all time favorite polishes.  Just look how the gold dances around the blue in the light.  My fingers and toes are so happy right now!

Frightfully Spectacular is a brand new UK indie polish line coming soon to you by @LollyBlackHeart.  I can honestly tell you that this girl turns colour into magic.  She chooses combinations that I've never seen before, and they work wonderfully.

Check out  #FrightfullySpectacular for more news.

As an extra special bonus, Here is a compilation of my all time favorite manicures.  I had so much fun creating these, I really hope you like them too.

My favourite manicures of 2014

More details and many more photos for each of these manicures in the links below.

1.    Neon Disco
2.    Snowflakes Skittle
3.    The Bird is the Word
4.    Crunchy Autumn Leaves
5.    Flower Power
6.    A = Angles
7.    Diwali Gradient with Mariana
8.    E = Elegant
9.    Diwali Decals with San
10.  Back to School
11.  Pink Roses
12.  Orange for Elisa
13.  C = Copycat
14.  Candy Cane Chevrons
15.  Holographic Stars
16.  Elements
17.  Pretty Paisleys


And last, but by no means least:

Thank you so much Mary

An InLinkz Link-up

Smokey Snowman

Hello Lovelies!

This is a challenge manicure for our facebook group: Stamp one, Stamp all Ten!   And the theme for the group this week is "Christmas or Hanukah"  I thought snowmen would be neutral, yet likeable enough to please everyone.  But somehow, I have created a penguin instead!  #StampOneStampAllTen

Ho ho ho!!!!

This is a festive manicure for Mary Mitch, she is putting together a collage of Snowmen manicures!!!  Of course, I had to take part!  Check out her other amazing nails here:
http://instagram.com/dreamymm
http://dreamymmnails.blogspot.co.uk/

Rina from the amazing blog Simply Rins  has actually managed to inspire me to finally try out freehand!!!!!  Her amazing video tutorial on this blog post, make the snowman seem almost idiot proof but apparently, not quite Bob-proof! Hehehe.  I simplified it slightly!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

As an exciting extra, I am also swatching a polish for you today!!!!!  I am so thrilled to present a new, exciting UK indie polish manufacturer:  Frightfully Spectacular.  I can tell you that there are currently magical, shiny, shimmery, glittery little bottles of wonder being put together in Kent!  

Smoke on the Water

I will provide more swatches and information (including many exciting concutions and a brand new Etsy shop) during this festive season.  But for now, just enjoy "Smoke on the Water", a beautiful metallic popping purple.  I also used this to stamp the background image in my snowman manicure.  When stamped, the purple shimmer catches the light just beautifully to created a soft, smokey shimmery magical finish.

Frightfully Spectacular.

Look how this beautiful colour stamps, I used it for the swirly background.   And the purple is even prettier in real life.

Humongous Finger!!!!!!

Base colour:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Background Stamp colour:  Frightfully Spectacular, Smoke on the Water
Background Stamping plate:  DRK xl Designer - 01
Middle finger Stamping:  Cici & Sisi Merry Christmas plate
Stamp Colour:  Konad stamping polish in black
Ring finger Freehand:  Acrylic Paints
To finish: Mixed shape pink rhinestones from a friend.

Colours used:

Stamping Plates:

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunset Smoosh

This post is a collaboration with my gorgeous friend Sumeet.  If you love nail stamping, you need to take a look at Sumeet's blog: http://talesofcoffeelacquerandbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/tales-of-coffee-lacquer-and-beauty-and.html  She posts the most gorgeous, inspiring manicures you could imagine.  Sumeet has such a wonderful way of explaining how to use techniques to get the effects you want.  Furthermore she also provides some of the best stamping product reviews I have seen in combination with her love of indie polish reviews.

Close-up

Take a look at these popping colours by Sumeet:

Our manicures together ❤

Now, I would like to explain my post title.

Sunset:  When I first sent a message to the lovely Sumeet, my mobile phone was convinced that I needed to change her name from Sumeet to Sunset!  And even though I knew I hadn't misspelled it, Sumeet will always be a gorgeous sunset to me.

Smoosh:  This is a technique I'd never heard of before.  It involves stamping multiple colours onto the nail in one go.

Sumeet directed me to @With2L (http://instagram.com/p/sZlXl2KmiM).  Elle applies different coloured polish onto one stamper and smoooooshes it onto a second stamper before placing it onto the nail.  And then Mariana (http://instagram.com/stampingqueenblog) showed me a similar technique by @Nailstamp4fun  (http://youtu.be/aQE9lIdYG4o) Swanette applies dots of different nail polish onto a non-porous surface.  She then uses a stamper to pick this smooosh up and transfer it to the nail.

I used Swanette's method, but adapted it slightly by waiting for the "smoosh" to dry on the stampers before applying it as a decal to my nails.

Bottle shot

Halogen Lighting

Gigantic Fingers.

How I smooooooshed!

Base colours:  (Sumeet was much braver than me)

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Blood Orange GNP 4

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Paprika GNP 32

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Satsuma GNP 7

Stamp colour: Konad Stamping Polish, White
Stamping plate: DRK xl Designer - 01

Smoooooosh Atttttack!!!!!!

Cobbles and Waves

Diwali Decals with San

I had the opportunity to work with two very talented nail artists to collaborate manicures for my birthday.  Here is the full post for my second manicure:  (See my previous post for my first collaboration.)

This time I got to work with San.  She is my wonderful friend and an excellent teacher, please, click here for her amazing YouTube stamping tutorials.  The quality of San's work is just perfect.  I have learnt so much from her.

You can also find San's manicures on instagram:
http://instagram.com/santie_nails

We both adore our DRK designer plate 01, and when San agreed to work with me it was obvious we would use this plate.  We decided to stamp the flowers, swirls and flourishes at the bottom of the image to make decals to colour and apply to our nails.  These beautiful patterns really remind me of Mehndi:  the art of painting the body in ornate designs with henna.  After a few tests, we both loved the way metallic colours worked with softer peachy pinks and this image.

Base colour:  Primark Nail Polish, Unnamed (pale coral)
The decals (from left in photo below):

Savers Nail Polish, Unnamed (copper)

Barry M Aquarium Collection, AQNP4 Mediterranean

Barry M Instant Nail Effects Foil, NP319 Silver

Essie Mirror Metallics, 944 Blue Rhapsody

Stamp colour: Konad Stamping Polish, Black
Stamping plate: DRK xl Designer - 01

Bottle Shot

The gorgeous San

Close-up

The Decals

Tools of the Trade

Our twin nails <3

I love this plate!

Enormous fingers

Halogen Lightining

Pink Polka Dots

Today is another challenge manicure for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 2014.  Every Wednesday this month I will be wearing pink and following a theme.  This weeks theme is "dotticure".  There are two Wednesday left in October so I will be following the themes.  22nd Oct:  Pink gradient and 29th Oct: Pink flowers.  Please support this campaign by joining in :) Use the following instagram hashtags when you post a manicure using these themes:

#‎enoctubreusamosrosa‬
‪#‎manirosaenoctubre‬
#fuerzarosa
‪#‎OnWednesdaysWeWearPink‬

This week I  really wanted to stamp and use my dotting tool!  And I found a perfect set of polka dots on my new drk designer plate!  I stamped these first, then used the dots as guides for a gradient dotticure <3

Base colour:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Stamp colour:  Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 16. Lilac
Stamping plate: Konad m71 and Born Pretty  QA 61
Dotting colours from palest:

• Home-mixed: Konad White mixed with 1/4 bottle of Loreal Color Riche, 403 Femme Fatale
• Rimmel Lasting Finish, 300 Pop your Pink
• Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 20. Fiusha
• Primark Nail Polish, Unnamed (maroon)

Polka Dot gradient

Close-up

Bottle shot

Giant finger!!!!!

Tools of the Trade

Base stamping

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Big fingers

Halogen lighting

Another bottle shot!!!

Three Colour Gradient

I know I'm late for this challenge, but here is my three colour gradient using my brand new drk designer plate.  I love every part of this plate.  It's just gorgeous.

Base colour: Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Gradient 01:  Rimmel 60 Seconds, 825 Sky High
Gradient 02:  Essie Nail Lacquer, Where's my Chauffeur
Gradient 03:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Stamp colour: Revlon Colorstay, 290 Midnight
Stamping plate: DRK XL Designer 1

Bottle Shot

Giant fingers

This plate is so beautiful!

Three colour gradient

Halo lighting

Humongous finger

Gradient colours

Sorry it's blurred

An InLinkz Link-up