F = Fashion

Hello there!

Camouflage nails today.  I have felt like hibernating this week, so this manicure helped me to blend in.  When I first saw this stamping image in my Cici & Sisi stamping set, I was disappointed...however,  as soon as I tried it, I changed my mind...I love the rough, rugged natural texture it produces.

Camouflage under halogen

I hope this works for the A-Z Weekly Blog challenge. Today is the letter F for "Fashion"  I am not fashionable, but I like camo...a lot, so I guess it is my fashion sense.  We post alphabetically on thursdays (except I'm late again!) . Hashtag #A2ZNails

And this is also my challenge manicure for Crumpets 52 Week Pick n Mix Challenge. This week, we have been given the prompts: "Camouflage" and "Dark green".

Hashtag #52wpnmc

Matte variation, Bottle shot

Not for the Squeemish

I do apologise for this horrible post.  I've seen a few girls with gory bloody nails like this and couldn't stop myself, I had to try it out.  I watched this video by PackAPunchPolish explaining the technique, she also has some photos on her blog post.

The look is achieved by quickly laying white, red, shiny top coat, then nude and matte top coat.  When this is dry to the touch, simply break the nude "skin" with a tooth pick to allow the glossy red to be exposed and ooze out and the white layer underneath will look like bone.

White:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Red:  Miss Sporty Lasting Colour, 540 Boys Love Me
Gloss:  Konad top coat.
Nude:  Primark Nail Polish, Unnamed (nude)
Matte:  Rimmel Lycra Pro, Matte Finish

Are you sure?

This ripped flesh manicure is totally disgusting.  I really don't like looking at it.  I am going to remove it right away.  Unless you have a fancy dress or halloween party to attend, I wouldn't recommend trying this out yourself.

Yuck!

Horrible Bottle Shot!

Close up of the gore

Breaking the Skin

Vile!!!!

Flower Power

I am participating in the Crumpets 52 Week Pick n Mix Challenge and it's week three.

Every week, there are two prompts.  Participants can choose whether to do one, both or combine them. The first prompt is a technique and the second is a colour or a range of colours

This week, we have been given the prompts:   "The sixties" and "textured polish".  I found a "groovy" floral fabric pattern from the 60's and copied it using similar colours and a flower power stamping image.  For texture I simply added a matte top coat.

Pick n Mix

Base colour:  Sinful Colors, 101 Snow me White
Stamp colour: Konad Stamping Polish, Black
Stamping plate: Moyou London Pro Collection - 10 XL
Decal colours:

• Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Paprika GNP 32
• Maybelline Color Show, 220 Orange Fix
• Mundo de Uñas Stamping Polish, 46. Mustard

Flower Power

My 60's inspiration

Gigantic finger

Closeup

Bottle shot

Halo lighting

Tools of the trade

The decals

An InLinkz Link-up

Burnt Parchment

This technique has been used really successfully and caught my eye a few times, I really wanted to have a go at it myself.  At first I misunderstood how it was created and thought I'd have to start burning pieces of paper and sticking them to my nails.

Then I looked again, and realised I could achieve this look with polish alone by building layers then removing sections.  I painted my nails black, then added a nude, then finally a cream colour on top.

I then "burnt away part of this using a cotton bud and nail polish remover.  I attacked this with a stiff brush to make the edges less smooth and more ashy.

Finally time for stamping some script over the top.  To make the text look more weathered, I mixed a chocolate brown with konad black and swiped the colours together on the plate. (I had to remove the stamp from the burnt away sections on my nails).  And a matte top coat finished the look.

After a little more research, I realised I hadn't quite got this right!!!!  Click here for a manicure by Copycat Claws using a much simpler, more effective and less time consuming technique!

Base colours:

1. Miss Sporty Lasting Colour, 080 Fatal Black (not pictured)
2. Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Lychee GNP 10
3. Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Coconut GNP 28

Stamp colour:  Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Cocoa GNP 34 and Konad Black
Stamping plate: Moyou London Princess Collection - 11

Halogen lighting

Gigantic thumb

Bottle shot!

Tools of the trade

How to burn the parchment

Blank burnt parchment

Close up

Autumn Leaves

September is Stamping Month here we go, we made a fortnight!  Yay.  Today the theme is leaves.   I just got this Moyou London Fashionista plate, and until this challenge, I hadn't realised it has the most beautiful leaves in it.

I can't keep it a secret, this manicure is a fake!!!  I used felt pens for the lead lighting instead of nail polish.  I feel as though I've cheated!!!!!  The water-based colours did not take well to the glossy finish, but after a coat of matte top coat, I was back at primary school, trying to stay in the lines while colouring in.

WARNING:  the colour will not stay on your nails.  I now have these colours on every other finger, all my clothes and somehow, even my face (I am clumsy).

Base colour: Revlon Colorstay, 290 Midnight
Stamp colour: Konad White
Lead lighting: I cheated and used felt tip pens.
Stamping plate: Moyou London Fashionista Collection - 06

Indirect daylight

Halo lighting

Halogen lighting

More halogen lighting

Under a tree

Tools of the Trade

Midnight teal = swoon

Just stamped

Bottle swatch

I wasn't sure whether or not to post this final photo, but I had actually intended to use this stamping image over natural nails and french tips.  It was a disaster, so I removed it and slapped on the above teal <3

The first attempt!

White Rabbit

Today is day three of, September is Stamping Month the theme is "Cat/Dog/Pet.  Spike is a cat, but I love Moyou's bunny designs. So rabbits it is.

Base colour: Sinful Colors, Easy Going 300
Stamp colour: Konad Black
Rabbit:  Sinful Colors, Snow me White 101 and Rimmel 60 Seconds, 405 Rose Libertine
Carrot:  Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Paprika GNP 32 and Beauty UK, unnamed green
Stamping plate: Moyou London Princess Collection 09 and 12

The lovely Miss Tina (author of the linked blog) has invited fellow stampers to join in and complete themed manicures with her, I am trying my best to keep up, but sadly have my first fail of the challenge.  Stamping was really difficult today.  The paw-prints are unidentifiable, the decals wonky and blobby and finally, the top coat smeared.  Apart from that, this is a really cute manicure :)

I cheated a little on the carrot.  I stamped with black and orange, and filled the greens in as a decal, but when I applied it to my nail, I thought the orange part needed an outline, so I grabbed my sharpie!  Unfortunately, being an awkward leftie,  this was quite tricky!  You can probably tell.

I really have to try this on a better day

For the Bunny and it's Carrot

Tools of the Trade

Such cute plates <3

:(

Matte with Blue Dots!

Everything melted today.  It was too hot for stamping and too hot for dotting!  But I wanted a cool manicure to end the week with, so went for icy looking blues and whites.   I also learnt that stamping polish does not help produce consistent dots.  It simply is too thick and gloopy.


Base colour:  Rimmel 60 Seconds, 842 Too cool to Tango
Base ring: Rimmel 60 Seconds, 825 Sky High
Stamp colour: Primark unnamed nail polish
Stamp ring: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine,
Top coat: Rimmel Lycra Pro, Matte Finish (sadly I can't get this anymore)
Image plate: Moyou London Suki Collection - 05

Polka dots: Konad White, which was a mistake.

Forgive the inconsistent dotting

Tools of the trade

I will practice dotting 

Indirect sunlight

Shiny on Matte

Nearly Nude

Shiny stamping image over matte base coat:  I keep seeing lovely examples of this look. braver girls often stamp the same colour over the matte top coat, I am stamping with a slightly darker nude.

I loved the way this manicure turned out.  My only complaint is that it did not last long enough. I wore the mani over a busy few days, and without a top coat, the stamping image began wearing away at the tips, and by day three, the contrast between matte and shiny had disappeared completely.

Base colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Lychee
Stamp colour: Max Factor Max Effect Mini, 21 Soft Toffee
Image plate: Konad m89

Blue Skies

Indirect sunlight

In the sun

Tools of the Trade

Scary Closeup

Halo Lighting

Flower Power

From sherbet sweeties, to the swinging sixties, Konad completely transforms the way a manicure looks, I of course, added glitter after a couple of days :)


Base colours: See previous post here
Stamp colour: Konad Black
Image plate: Konad M100

Tools of the trade

I added a little glitter in the centre of the flowers

The matte finish going slightly shiny after a day