Girly Skull and Crossbones

I have stolen another manicure, Beatrice did a better job than I have, but I had loads of fun playing around. She used a cream base colour with a glitter polish, and I lazily used one coat of metallic.  Scroll to the bottom to see her gorgeous manicure.

For the "decal" or "advanced stamping" technique, I used a method by San-tie Nails, click here for her latest video. It really is as quick and easy as she makes it look...great fun to do.

On another note, I have begun the path to squaring off my nails! I think this may be a more practical shape for using cameras, my phone, typing and most importantly, fitting stamping plate images on my nails in one go!  Lets see how I get on with these new corners.  I am concerned they are a weak point and will get knocked off!

Base colour: Primark nail polish (part of a set of four), unnamed, metalic
Stamp colour: Konad Black
Decals: Maybelline Colour Show, 262 Pink Boom, Beauty UK nail polish in gold, and Konad White
Image plate: Moyou London Princess Collection - 10  for the pinky and ring fingers and 13 for the rest

This is so cute!

Indirect natural light

Tools of the trade

Giant fingers!!!

Learning to pose

This is the amazing manicure that inspired me (I stole).  Thank you Beatrice Cabanes, I have been trying to find you, to give you credit for this xxx

An amazing manicure <3

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

Missing Bits!

This is why it is necessary to top coat your stamping creations!  I wasn't able to photograph this manicure immediately, so decided to wait and apply top coat the next day just before shooting, to make everything look shiny and new.

I didn't anticipate how fragile those little lines are.  By the time I got my Seche Vite and camera out the mani had half disappeared!  I would like to reinforce that the plate picked up beautifully, first attempt on every finger, so please don't think Born Pretty is to blame :)

Base colours from pinky to thumb:

• 17 Lasting Fix, Seabreeze
• Rimmel 60 Seconds, 825 Sky high
• Miss Sporty clubbing colours, Pop fiction 320
• Rimmel Salon Pro, 337 Purple rain
• Primark nail polish, unnamed

Stamp colour: Konad White
Stamping plate: Born Pretty QA61

Indirect sunlight

This is how my index finger should look!

This photo has a green tinge to it, but shows the blues slightly more realisticallly

Halogen lighting

I am so sad I didn't take photos sooner

Hot Air Balloon Horror!

This could have been beautiful, the idea in my head certainly was!  I am posting this manicure because I will attempt to get it right next time.  I absolutely adore this plate, and love the idea of double stamping balloon decals over those stylized clouds.  I have tried to show off the fingers that worked best to illustrate what I mean.

The Sky
Base colour: Primark nail polish, unnamed (turquoise)
Stamp colour: Konad White
Stamping plate: Moyou London Mother Nature Collection - 06 (isolate the clouds only)


The Balloons
Decal colours (From left as shown in photo): Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Plum 348, Primark nail polish, unnamed (blue),Primark nail polish, unnamed (neon orange), Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Satsuma 317 and Rimmel 60 Seconds, 405 Rose Libertine
Stamp colour: Konad Black
Stamping plate: Moyou London Mother Nature Collection - 06


I also tried a small experiment on my pinky, where I chose two different balloons at the same size, and stamped black directly over orange to create coloured outlines.  This technique could work if you are consistent at precision stamping...which I am not!  But practise makes perfect, So I will no doubt try this technique again.

Here are the best of them!

Tools of the Trade

Lining up the decals

Swatching the base colour from primark

Indirect natural light

Bollywood

The AIS challenge for Sunday 10th August is:   Bollywood.  I thought I'd go for a full nail image in a hot summery colour as a background to some striking dark flourishes.  Unfortunately, my stamping was off, and so every finger has a wonky black mess on it instead.  For this reason, I thought I'd start the post with the base stamping images.


Base colour: OPI Ski Slope Sweetie HL E15
Stamp colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Papaya 416
Base Plate: Moyou London Suki Collection - 06 and Artist Collection - 11

Under a tree

Halogen lighting

For the black bits:

Stamp colour: Konad black
Stamping plate: Moyou London Pro Collection - 07  XL and Tourist collection - 20

Self timer function helps position fingers to hide wonky stamping

Right hand, missing parts of every flourish

Left hand, spectacularly off center :)

Scary close-up of the base stamping

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

Holographic Sunday Challenge

With 135 votes the challenge for Sunday Aug. 3rd is: Over a holographic polish. This pleased me, let the shimmery summery rainbows out!

Base colour: Born Pretty Holo Polish, Color 6
Gradient:  Born Pretty Holo Polish, Color 4 and Barbara Daly Nail Polish, Boulevard.
Stamp colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine, Plum 348
Image plate: Moyou London Pro Collection - 06 XL

For more details of the base colours, click here,

HAPPY STAMPING :)

Beautiful Sunshine and a rose <3

Artificial lighting does nothing for holos

Giant fingers!

Tools of the trade

How moyou's xl images fit me

I smeared my thumb :(

Holographic Gradient

I  Sponged Again!!!!  This time with holographic polishes.

Base colour: Born Pretty Holo Polish, Color 6
Sponged Gradient:  Born Pretty Holo Polish, Color 4 
Tips of nails:  Barbara Daly Nail Polish, Boulevard.

 Scroll down for step by step instructions.

 01 .Born pretty color 6: one coat

02.  You will need...

03.  Sponge on Born pretty color 4

04.  Pink holo tips :)

05.  Paint tips with Barbara Daly, Boulevard 

06.  Sponge again with color 4 to blend.

All finished.  Go to the sun to fully appreciate your holographic spectrum.  Enjoy.

Add More Glitter

It's not a myth, pva does mean I can wear glitter without the fear of destroying my nails removing it.

I did feel like a small child painting my fingers with glue.

A protective base coat is so normal for me, I felt naughty going without one.

I won't use pva unless I plan to put glitter on my nails, however, I often end up bunging loads of glitter on at the end of a normal manicure to prolong it.

Base colour: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine,

Indirect sunlight

In the shade

Bright light really shows this off

It really does peel off!