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

Funky French

This was not what I wanted,  I think the problem is the tips go too far up my nail bed and this is moving towards a half moon manicure. Unfortunately, this is neither here nor there, so just looks a little peculiar.  I do like like the idea but don't think my nails will ever get long enough to wear it well.

Base colour: Konad black sponged on tips only
Stamp colour: Konad Black then Konad White
Stamping plate: Moyou London Pro Collection - 14 XL

Close up it's wobbly!

Autumn sun

Massive finger!!!!!!

Tools of the Trade

In the garden

Halogen lighting

Black stamping only

Crazy French Tips

Today's theme is "French Tips"  it's day 22 of September is Stamping Month.  I actually wore this manicure last week to test out some of my new Mundo de Uñas stamping polishes.  I really liked the end result, so I thought I'd save it to post it publically for today's theme.

Base colour: Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours, 320 Pop Fiction
Stamp colour: Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 42. Holland Blue
Stamping plate:  Konad m89

Tip colour:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Tip stamp colour:  Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 20. Fiusha
Tip stamping plate: Cheeky Jumbo Plate - C

So shiny

Halogen lighting

Sunshine :)

Indirect sunshine

Tools of the Trade

Tools for the Tips

In the autumn sun

Underneath

Marbled Galaxy

My first water marbling :)  I used the dry method, you can see parts of this process below. This technique will take some practise.

Base colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Green Berry GNP 12
Water marble colours (from left in photo below):  Bronze Metalic nail colour from Savers, Barry M Aquarium Collection, AQNP5 Arabian, Ciate Paint Pots, PP037 Starlet

I was aiming for peacock inspired colours, but after seeing my marbled nails, I decided they looked more like a galaxy in space.  So obviously, I stamped stars over!!!!

Stamp colour: Konad White
Stamping plate: Cheeky CH5

Halogen lighting

Bottle shot

Star stamping

Marble Colours

Tools of the Trade

Water marble decals

Autumn sunshine

Spacey!!!

I am such a messy worker!

Bring Back the Sun

Here in England, it's definitely cooled off this week, but despite the chill in the air, I have been inspired by the AIS weekly challenge:  With 108 votes the Sunday challenge for Sunday Aug. 17th is:  Over a yellow base.

I really really wanted bumble bee nails with black stripes, but quickly realised, I am unable to stamp straight lines!  So instead, I chose a hot summery stamp using the versatile cheeky plate jumbo C.  I know that Barry M stamps well over lighter colours, so this was the perfect opportunity to show them off using a stamping gradient...I think they really compliment this fantastic yellow by rimmel.

Base colour: Rimmel 60 Seconds, 450 Get your shades on!
Stamp colours: The tips are Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, 317 Satsuma blended into Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, 407 Grapefruit
Stamping plate: Cheeky Jumbo Plate C

In direct sunlight

This reminds me of rolling hills or breaking waves

Halogen lighting

That YELLOW base!

Tools of the Trade

My only real disappointment with this mani is that I lined the stamp up with the tips of my nails.  Now it is finished, I feel it would have looked so much prettier if I had stamped from my half moons.  Then I could have avoided that strange yellow blank spot that is different on every nail.  Ah well.

Under a cloudy sky

Halogen lighting

Orange for Elisa

This manicure is about Orange.  Elisa kindly said my manicure inspired her.  This motivated me to grab all my orange nail polishes and continue the happy orange summer theme. Enjoy...I had great fun with this.

Gradient moon: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Papaya 416
Gradient tip:  Barbara Daly nail polish, Pink Ribbon
Blending coat: Essence colour and go, 152 Give me nude baby (for a white jelly with gold shimmer to help disguise mistakes!)
Stamp colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, GNP7 Satsuma 317
Image plate: All of the full nail images on Cheeky CH44

Trying to figure out how to pose :)

Halogen Lighting

Indirect natural light

Tools of the trade

The gradient before stamping

And my inspiration for this orange manicure, the lovely Elisa:

Elisa Rush with a wicked holo mani <3

Art Deco Lace

July 6th Sunday challenge:  Lacy

I wanted to use this dusky nude pink from primark with something grown up.  Then, to my delight, the "Adventures in Stamping" Facebook group came up with lacy for this weeks Sunday challenge.

I didn't have a traditional lace stamping plate, but this image from my cheeky plate reminded me so much of my grandparents home decorations and in particular, some ornate lacy dresses they had cherished in their youth in the 1930's.

Base colour: Primark, unnamed.
Stamp colour: Konad, White
Image plate: Cheeky Jumbo Plate C

Halogen light

Halogen light

Light through north facing window

Bright natural light

Indirect low summer sun light

Tools of the Trade