31DC2014, Day 02: advanced stamping

Topic #2 for the  31 Day Challenge is Orange Nails. Orange is so not my color, so I didn't even have an idea what to do until I saw this vintage wallpaper pattern on Pinterest:

I've searched through my stamping plates and came up with this:

This time I tried the advanced stamping technique - coloring the design on the stamper and then stamp over a slightly tacky top coat as shown in this tutorial.
Although the technique on itself worked great for me, I'm less than thrilled with my nails. Somehow the final design doesn't work for me... :-/ But good to know this technique is pretty easy, so I can do better next time ;)

Base color: Essence Flashy Pumpkin
Stamping: pattern from MoYou Pro XL 06 plate, stamped with Mundo de Uñas Chocolate. Flowers colored with OPI My Vampire Is Buff

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Born Pretty Store stamping plate QA61

Couple of weeks ago I saw a review for this Born Pretty Store plate on Kelsie's Nail Files. I loved Kelsie's mani so much, the plate was almost instantly in my shopping cart ;)

The reason I bought this plate was that the patterns on it are similar, but not the same. A perfect plate for a harmonious look without much effort.

I'm not an expert on stamping as you can see ;). I always scrap and press too hard. But with this plate it was quite easy to get a clear stamp - the etching is perfect and not too deep. I also love how delicate the pattern looks:

I used one of my new Mundo de Uñas stamping polishes for the first time and was absolutely amazed:  it's incredible, how pigmented they are! Unfortunately I just saw that they don't ship internationally anymore. Please-please-please, ship internationally again! 

Base color: OPI My Vampire Is Buff

Stamping: patterns from Born Pretty Store Plate QA61 stamped with Mundo de Uñas Chocolate.

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31DC2013, Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial. Camo Nails!

It was hard to go back to the  31 Day challenge from last year, but with only two manis left,  I just have to finish it!!!
The last "Inspired By" topic is "Inspired by a tutorial". There are so many techniques I haven't tried yet - lead light + stamping, pond manicure, free handed roses, etc., etc. I also though military/camo manicures look kind of cool... So here are my first camo nails:

I planned to add some dark, almost black green as well, but after I did my thumb I chickened out and left the rest as it was:

A friend of mine said she liked my thumbs better. And I still cannot decide ;) Maybe my thumb just had too many small spots... Next time I'd go for bigger shapes as on my middle and ring fingers.
Which alternative do you like more?

Pointer and pinkie: dark teal Leighton Denny Femme Fatale (got in a set in TK Maxx)
Camo Pattern: light green OPI Stranger Tides, medium green Formula X Fearless (my NY super haul), Leighton Denny Femme Fatale
Studs: 3mm square studs from ebay

There are a lot of tutorials on how to create military nails, but I these these two the best for me:



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Yeeey! Fing'rs decals from ChitChatNails!!!

It's hard to believe, but I won the Fing'rs Nail Tatoos Giveaway from Marta's blog ChitChatNails!!! Yeeey!!! I got the decals last week and had to use them for my mani:

Look at this, this or this post from ChitChatNails. Now you know where my inspiration comes from ;) Marta is the queen of skittlettes - this cool mix'n'match styles, where at least two nails are different from the others. My skittlette obsession started with her blog. If you're not a fan yet - check out her skittlette-tutorial and start following!

Base color:  P2 Sweet Like Sugar and OPI My Vampire Is Buff.
Glitter: Ligne D'Or Azúcar Canela - the best textured glitter I have. Bought for $1,50 during my holiday in South America.
Water decals: Fingr's Nail Tatoos

The rose colored P2 polish is a new addition to my collection - bought it in my local drugstore yesterday. The color is beautiful - slightly dusty rose with some soft shimmer. The formula however is a nightmare for me - thick, streaky, dries quick on the surface and doesn't level itself out much. I had to use tree careful coats to hide bold spots. If you do thin coats and usually manage to paint a nail without going twice over the same spot, you'd be fine with two coats.


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31DC2013, Day 28: Inspired by a flag

The flag topic of my never ending 31 Day challenge was a really difficult one. Honestly, what kind of a flag manicure can you wear to work, if you work in a fairly conservative, men dominated industry? Not during the finals of a football championship, but just on a regular business day?..
I gave up and decided to do a tribute to Hamburg - my most favorite city in the world. My colleagues would cope with that ;) My mani features its official flag:

I cheated a bit this time - I used thin permanent markers in black and white. I wouldn't be able to pull off such thin lines with my brush, to be frank. And even with the marker it was difficult. Then - aaarghh, buggers! I don't want a gradient!!! - my top coat started dissolving my castle... The result is quite messy, but thank god, the Hammerburg is still standing ;). So please don't look too close ;)

Base color: A-England Camelot and OPI Big Apple Red (which started getting gooey and had lots of air bubbles from my unwise shaking)
Hamburg flag: thin permanent markers in black and white

Apart from my semi-successful mani, if you're somewhere near or traveling to northern part of Europe, visit my beautiful home town, it's worth it!

Source: wikipedia

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Turquoise mix'n'match

This design is inspired by Meghan's tape mani from her blog Will Paint Nails For Food. I thought the gold trimming made the look interesting, so I applied the idea to my skittle mani today.

I wanted to use my newly created glitter polish, so turquoise had to be one of the colors in the mix. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of my thumb, so you can see only a mini-glitter gradient on my index finger.

Base color: OPI My Vampire Is Buff and Barry M Pure Turquoise
Gold stripes: gold polish p2 Next Exit Party, applied with a striper brush
Glitter: custom mix with glitters from Glitter Unique
Studs: 1mm studs from Essence

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#31DC2013: Day 01, Red Nails

The 31 Day Challenge starts with red nails. I'm sorry for the flash - I had to take the picture inside and didn't have any indirect light sources available.

I decided to go for some Femme Fatale design. Red with black "Mouline Rouge" details ;). My most favorite red shade ever is OPI Big Apple Red. It is a saturated red, slightly darker than the poppy red (without the raspberry tint I got with my flash). The idea for the net design I got from this youtube tutorial. And the feather is from my late favorite - the stamping plate by Vivid Lacquer.

Base color: two coats of OPI Big Apple Red

Stamping: net-pattern from Konad plate M57, feather from VL006 by Vivid Lacquer, stamped with Jolfin Black stamping polish 

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