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On my ring finger I placed a black bow to match the ribbon belt on my dress. Manicure complete. It drew some admirers too. That is always a sign of a job well done.
Thursday 17 January 2013
Inspired by my new blue dress
This past weekend I bought a simple but lovely blue dress from Target. On Monday I wore this dress going to training off-site from my regular workplace. Why not go the full package and wow them? Yes, my nails were going to match the jacquard design you can not quite see in the below picture.
As my base colour I chose to use Orly Royal Navy. I thought that Royal Navy would be a lot lighter than the blue in the dress but that I needed a lighter colour when stamping black over the top. The added blue shimmer would help give a little extra and define the design.
After going through quite a number of plates and using different black polishes, I ended up stamping with Konad Black. I really did not want to use Konad Black because it is such a pain to clean up. Even then, I had trouble with the stamping. To combat this, I had to suffer for my nails and turn both the air conditioning and the fan off. This enabled me to stamp properly but I only had time to stamp an accent on my middle finger. A Bundle Monster image plate was used. I know I tried both BM 20 and BM 21 but I am not sure which one I used in the end as both plates have a similar design on them.
On my ring finger I placed a black bow to match the ribbon belt on my dress. Manicure complete. It drew some admirers too. That is always a sign of a job well done.
On my ring finger I placed a black bow to match the ribbon belt on my dress. Manicure complete. It drew some admirers too. That is always a sign of a job well done.
Tuesday 15 January 2013
Happy Birthday January
I know I missed out on December's birthday post. I did have a plan for it and that did not involve the December floral emblem of holly. There will be another December to post in since the world did not end. ;)
Many of you would know that the birth stone for January is the garnet. The rhinestone flowers I used in this manicure represent garnet. I know that most people picture garnet as a different shade of red but that was the best red I had in my wheel of blossoms. What you may not know is that the Chinese plum (aka Japanese apricot) is the January floral emblem in China. Plum blossoms are a common oriental motif that I like so I thought I would bring it back to the blog after the last appearance in Spring.
My base colour is a-England Dragon. Two coats were applied but the beauty could not be appreciated when I first took pictures as it was overcast. I am not going to complain because the coolness the weather has brought is a welcome relief from the high temperatures we have had lately. The sun did peep out for a few moments after I had applied some cuticle oil. A dash was made to take at least one picture to show the scattered holographic loveliness that is Dragon.
Using Konad plate M66 I stamped my favourite stone fruit blossom image in China Glaze Cherish. I did consider a red for the stamping but I decided for the chrome of Cherish instead. Seche Vite was applied over the stamping. What is unusual is that I stamped directly on the dry base colour. This colour dried satisfactorily fast to enable me to stamp without waiting hours for the firmness required.
On each fully stamped blossom a rhinestone was placed on the wet Seche Vite. That brings us to the end result. I think the manicure turned out well but the red and green could have a Christmas vibe to it. Still, I like it and I hope those who celebrate their birthday in January do as well.
Many of you would know that the birth stone for January is the garnet. The rhinestone flowers I used in this manicure represent garnet. I know that most people picture garnet as a different shade of red but that was the best red I had in my wheel of blossoms. What you may not know is that the Chinese plum (aka Japanese apricot) is the January floral emblem in China. Plum blossoms are a common oriental motif that I like so I thought I would bring it back to the blog after the last appearance in Spring.
My base colour is a-England Dragon. Two coats were applied but the beauty could not be appreciated when I first took pictures as it was overcast. I am not going to complain because the coolness the weather has brought is a welcome relief from the high temperatures we have had lately. The sun did peep out for a few moments after I had applied some cuticle oil. A dash was made to take at least one picture to show the scattered holographic loveliness that is Dragon.
Using Konad plate M66 I stamped my favourite stone fruit blossom image in China Glaze Cherish. I did consider a red for the stamping but I decided for the chrome of Cherish instead. Seche Vite was applied over the stamping. What is unusual is that I stamped directly on the dry base colour. This colour dried satisfactorily fast to enable me to stamp without waiting hours for the firmness required.
On each fully stamped blossom a rhinestone was placed on the wet Seche Vite. That brings us to the end result. I think the manicure turned out well but the red and green could have a Christmas vibe to it. Still, I like it and I hope those who celebrate their birthday in January do as well.
Friday 11 January 2013
MUD Nail Stickers - Star It On 001
I have had MUD nail stickers since Woolworths released them. Since it was late November when I bought them, I thought I should try them out. They would have been wonderful to wear over the Christmas season as the design I have is 001 - Star it On. The sticker backing is clear to show a base colour. Each of the stars have a silver reflective backing so that they stand out against the base colour and are not affected by the colour choice. They always appear like white rhinestones.
For Christmas I received the gorgeous purple shimmery Illamasqua Poke. I love their delightfully wicked names. Over a PVA base I applied two coats of Poke to my nails.
After allowing the polish to dry for about 10 minutes, I started to apply the nail stickers. As I have very short nails, I was able to get two nails covered for each nail sticker. When I placed the sticker I then smoothed it down with my finger. Excess was trimmed off with a pair of nail scissors. A cardboard nail file was included with the package of nail stickers but it did not do a very good job of filing off the excess to neaten the end.
These nail stickers look great being worn. They are fairly easy to apply if you are not a perfectionist. I should note, this is the first time that I have applied nail stickers. As the backing on this particular design is clear, it is more forgiving when you make mistakes or have less than perfect application. Although the directions state that you apply these to the bare nail, I have not noticed a difference in wear between bare nail and polished nail.
On the negative side, these will annoy you if you need perfect application. The backing seems like a normal sticker and therefore difficult to get smooth and flush at the free edge. Star It On is a raised design and that may not appeal to some people either. If you plan to use a nail sticker for more than one nail you need to take into account that there is a graduation in the size of the stars from large at the base to small at the top. I think the way I have applied my stickers looks effective in having large portions on my thumb, index and middle fingers. The remaining fingers have the small portions that combine to appear graduated from large to small across my fingers.
MUD Nail stickers can be bought from Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia. The retail price is $5 for a set of 16 stickers with a nail file included. (Although they sell the set for $5.38 from Woolworths online.) They are produced by the same company that manufactures Ulta3 and I am not sure how these compare to the Ulta3 nail stickers.
For Christmas I received the gorgeous purple shimmery Illamasqua Poke. I love their delightfully wicked names. Over a PVA base I applied two coats of Poke to my nails.
After allowing the polish to dry for about 10 minutes, I started to apply the nail stickers. As I have very short nails, I was able to get two nails covered for each nail sticker. When I placed the sticker I then smoothed it down with my finger. Excess was trimmed off with a pair of nail scissors. A cardboard nail file was included with the package of nail stickers but it did not do a very good job of filing off the excess to neaten the end.
These nail stickers look great being worn. They are fairly easy to apply if you are not a perfectionist. I should note, this is the first time that I have applied nail stickers. As the backing on this particular design is clear, it is more forgiving when you make mistakes or have less than perfect application. Although the directions state that you apply these to the bare nail, I have not noticed a difference in wear between bare nail and polished nail.
On the negative side, these will annoy you if you need perfect application. The backing seems like a normal sticker and therefore difficult to get smooth and flush at the free edge. Star It On is a raised design and that may not appeal to some people either. If you plan to use a nail sticker for more than one nail you need to take into account that there is a graduation in the size of the stars from large at the base to small at the top. I think the way I have applied my stickers looks effective in having large portions on my thumb, index and middle fingers. The remaining fingers have the small portions that combine to appear graduated from large to small across my fingers.
MUD Nail stickers can be bought from Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia. The retail price is $5 for a set of 16 stickers with a nail file included. (Although they sell the set for $5.38 from Woolworths online.) They are produced by the same company that manufactures Ulta3 and I am not sure how these compare to the Ulta3 nail stickers.
Wednesday 9 January 2013
You need to Just Keep Swimming in this heat.
We are looking forward to having Summer days with the temperature in the high 30s. That is in degrees celsius. It is times like these that I wish I lived closer to the beach. Then again, I lived on the beach as a child and I don't remember taking every opportunity to swim in the ocean.
I bring another Darling Diva polish today. It is Finding Nemo's Dory inspired Just Keep Swimming. This was one coat over three coats of Satin Nail Enamel 10 which is a smurf blue with pink shimmer.
I found the white bar glitter a little "hairy" but I managed it ok. I was able to get it put into position and not hanging over edges fairly easily. The white bar glitter seems to be rather finer than the bar glitter I have had in other polishes. You can easily see the hex glitters in my pictures but it is more difficult to see the green micro-glitter. Of course I say it is green but this is most likely due to the blue tinted base making yellow appear as green. The flecks can be slightly seen in the shade photograph below.
I bring another Darling Diva polish today. It is Finding Nemo's Dory inspired Just Keep Swimming. This was one coat over three coats of Satin Nail Enamel 10 which is a smurf blue with pink shimmer.
I found the white bar glitter a little "hairy" but I managed it ok. I was able to get it put into position and not hanging over edges fairly easily. The white bar glitter seems to be rather finer than the bar glitter I have had in other polishes. You can easily see the hex glitters in my pictures but it is more difficult to see the green micro-glitter. Of course I say it is green but this is most likely due to the blue tinted base making yellow appear as green. The flecks can be slightly seen in the shade photograph below.
Sunday 6 January 2013
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...
I shared with thee an Illamasqua pretty.
When my Strumpet gave me two bottles of Illamasqua for Christmas I was overjoyed. I even had hot, little tears burning at my eyes with the emotions. Phallic and Poke were the two polishes I received and both were on my want list. Today I am sharing Phallic with you and Poke will make an appearance in a few days.
I thought I would use the Twelfth Day of Christmas to share a Christmas themed manicure with you. It is the perfect excuse as I did not manage to get the Christmas manicures I wanted to do done. I started with Chi Chi Gimme Gimme a Man and applied two coats.
To make the presents I taped a cross on my thumb and ring fingers with striping tape. Phallic was applied over the top and the tape removed. A coat of Seche Vite was laid over the top and this was used to affix the blue bows. This was the design I had in mind when I originally bought these bows. Thankfully these look as good when completed as I had envisioned them in my mind's eye.
The stamping was done with Phallic and image plate MJ VII. I chose not to use the gift image as my nails are exceptionally short at the moment and would not show the design off to the best effect. Tape was also applied to the side of the middle finger and Phallic placed along the side.
This manicure gives me a giggle to think of the names of the polishes. How often do you get to feature Phallic with Gimme Gimme a Man?
When my Strumpet gave me two bottles of Illamasqua for Christmas I was overjoyed. I even had hot, little tears burning at my eyes with the emotions. Phallic and Poke were the two polishes I received and both were on my want list. Today I am sharing Phallic with you and Poke will make an appearance in a few days.
I thought I would use the Twelfth Day of Christmas to share a Christmas themed manicure with you. It is the perfect excuse as I did not manage to get the Christmas manicures I wanted to do done. I started with Chi Chi Gimme Gimme a Man and applied two coats.
To make the presents I taped a cross on my thumb and ring fingers with striping tape. Phallic was applied over the top and the tape removed. A coat of Seche Vite was laid over the top and this was used to affix the blue bows. This was the design I had in mind when I originally bought these bows. Thankfully these look as good when completed as I had envisioned them in my mind's eye.
The stamping was done with Phallic and image plate MJ VII. I chose not to use the gift image as my nails are exceptionally short at the moment and would not show the design off to the best effect. Tape was also applied to the side of the middle finger and Phallic placed along the side.
This manicure gives me a giggle to think of the names of the polishes. How often do you get to feature Phallic with Gimme Gimme a Man?
Saturday 5 January 2013
Santa left Illamasqua in my Christmas Stocking.
Before Christmas I had the opportunity to visit Illamasqua. I had decided that I would get Viridian as my chosen polish. When I arrived in store I browsed the holiday special catalogue and found the two Christmas duo packs. The bright pack had Viridian and a special limited edition release, Glitterati. Needless to say, I did not pass up the opportunity to get the pack at the special price of $38. Usually it would cost $42 to buy two Illamasqua polishes.
After I got home I stashed this set away to put in my Christmas stocking. Hey! I need to have something for Christmas when Mr R and Miss L are getting exceptionally spoilt. How else can I get spoilt except with some lovely polish? Illamasqua no less.
Viridian has been shown to perfection on much lovelier nails than mine. I thought I would show Glitterati with some nail art done with Viridian. Two coats were applied of this gorgeous dark red jelly-like polish that is packed with holographic glitter.
To do the nail art I used two circle paper reinforcement stickers to make a curved shape on my thumb. My nails were cut and filed back today because of breakage and I felt that my thumb offered the best canvas as it is the largest area to work with. Then I dotted on the version of OPI Not Like the Movies that is not "oil slick" multi-chromatic. A large and small dotting tool were used. Inside the large dots I finally dotted some Virdian. Without placing this over Not Like the Movies, I feel that you would not have been able to appreciate Viridian against Glitterati. Sadly, my top coat did smear some of the Viridian dots.
After I got home I stashed this set away to put in my Christmas stocking. Hey! I need to have something for Christmas when Mr R and Miss L are getting exceptionally spoilt. How else can I get spoilt except with some lovely polish? Illamasqua no less.
Viridian has been shown to perfection on much lovelier nails than mine. I thought I would show Glitterati with some nail art done with Viridian. Two coats were applied of this gorgeous dark red jelly-like polish that is packed with holographic glitter.
To do the nail art I used two circle paper reinforcement stickers to make a curved shape on my thumb. My nails were cut and filed back today because of breakage and I felt that my thumb offered the best canvas as it is the largest area to work with. Then I dotted on the version of OPI Not Like the Movies that is not "oil slick" multi-chromatic. A large and small dotting tool were used. Inside the large dots I finally dotted some Virdian. Without placing this over Not Like the Movies, I feel that you would not have been able to appreciate Viridian against Glitterati. Sadly, my top coat did smear some of the Viridian dots.
Friday 4 January 2013
Inspired by the Christmas Beetle
The Christmas season brings the arrival of the beautifully iridescent Christmas Beetle. I remember watching the shimmer of the shell for ages when I found the beetles in my room.
This year I have only found one beetle and took the opportunity to photograph it for you. I took many pictures as I had trouble with capturing the colour of the shell and keeping the Christmas Beetle in focus. While I was taking the pictures the beetle crawled around on my hand and bumbled with some flying.
When I first saw Pretty Serious Mummy Mush, I thought of the Christmas Beetle immediately. It has a pale gold base with pink and green shimmer. To get a good base, I used three coats as this is a polish on the sheer side. For the design I decided to do a modified version of the ladybird (ladybug/ladybeetle) manicure.
I trimmed a nail art brush to make it finer and shorter and used Ulta3 Black Satin. You can tell why I do not freehand nail art as I am simply terrible with art. Over the top of the black lines I applied Ozotic 503 for a green shimmer. It does not look right... So I had another go.
I only applied Mummy Mush to my nail because I was not intending to keep the design on my nails. Hence, that explains the lack of clean up as I just wanted to see if my second thoughts after studying the picture of the Christmas Beetle were better. I also used the same black.
Hmmm. Shoddy looking but I thought I would add Ozotic 503 again. This did soften the design. If I wore this out in public I am sure I would get questions as to what on earth I had on my nails.
This year I have only found one beetle and took the opportunity to photograph it for you. I took many pictures as I had trouble with capturing the colour of the shell and keeping the Christmas Beetle in focus. While I was taking the pictures the beetle crawled around on my hand and bumbled with some flying.
When I first saw Pretty Serious Mummy Mush, I thought of the Christmas Beetle immediately. It has a pale gold base with pink and green shimmer. To get a good base, I used three coats as this is a polish on the sheer side. For the design I decided to do a modified version of the ladybird (ladybug/ladybeetle) manicure.
I trimmed a nail art brush to make it finer and shorter and used Ulta3 Black Satin. You can tell why I do not freehand nail art as I am simply terrible with art. Over the top of the black lines I applied Ozotic 503 for a green shimmer. It does not look right... So I had another go.
I only applied Mummy Mush to my nail because I was not intending to keep the design on my nails. Hence, that explains the lack of clean up as I just wanted to see if my second thoughts after studying the picture of the Christmas Beetle were better. I also used the same black.
Hmmm. Shoddy looking but I thought I would add Ozotic 503 again. This did soften the design. If I wore this out in public I am sure I would get questions as to what on earth I had on my nails.
Tuesday 1 January 2013
Pretty Seriously Serious Mummy Mush
Happy New Year and welcome to 2013. I hope that the new year has started off kindly for you without too many hang overs from seeing the old year out.
I used three coats of Pretty Serious Mummy Mush for some nail art. To "upcycle" the manicure I added Darling Diva's Seriously Serious.
Seriously Serious is a purple and green version of A Christmas Story. This polish did not need to be thinned and I applied one easy layer over the top of Mummy Mush.
Darling Diva recommends not using Seriously Serious over the top of purple polish as the purple micro glitter can not be seen. I thought the pale champagne gold glass fleck multi-chrome would show both the purple and holographic green micro-glitters well. I think at some point in time I will wear it over a green such as China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald or maybe a mauve.
I will leave you with a picture that shows a little more of the holographic sparkle from the green holographic micro-glitter.
I used three coats of Pretty Serious Mummy Mush for some nail art. To "upcycle" the manicure I added Darling Diva's Seriously Serious.
Seriously Serious is a purple and green version of A Christmas Story. This polish did not need to be thinned and I applied one easy layer over the top of Mummy Mush.
Darling Diva recommends not using Seriously Serious over the top of purple polish as the purple micro glitter can not be seen. I thought the pale champagne gold glass fleck multi-chrome would show both the purple and holographic green micro-glitters well. I think at some point in time I will wear it over a green such as China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald or maybe a mauve.
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