Uberchic Plate 2-02: gingham check nails

It was really hard to decide which image to take from my new ÜberChic stamping plates. This simple, but cool pattern comes from plate 2-02 from the Collection 2. The image and the etching are flawless, it's my stamping skills which aren't spectacular. ;) It seems, I just cannot stamp straight lines. But I like this mani anyway! Somehow this candy color combination is just cute and reminds me of the  girly dresses from the fifties. :)

Base colors: I'm not 100% sure about which polishes I used, but it has to be Mesauda #91 and matte pink Inglot  #702, which I covered with Seche Vite afterwards.
Stamping: ÜberChic plate 2-02 stamped with MdU polish Holland Blue from the Frozen set.
Studs: pastel colored mini studs from Born Pretty Store


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Advanced stamping with UberChic stamping plate 1-02

After ruining my nails with water sports during my holiday and suffering for at least 3 weeks afterwords, I'm finally happy to be able to do my nails again. Yeey!

The nail art community was going crazy over the ÜberChic stamping plates in the last months, so of course, I had to have them too ;) The flower image comes from the plate 1-02 from the Collection 1.

I've tried the stamping decal technique before, but never managed to get it right - either I would mess up the placing of the image or the decal would melt on the cuticle line during clean up.

This time I tried a new advanced stamping method - colouring the image and transferring it to the nail directly, without covering it with a top coat first. I still managed to smudge it a bit, but I'm totally amazed how easy it was.
There are tons of tutorials on advanced stamping, one of the first I've seen was this one by Lucy's Stash. Another one of my favourites is by San-tie Nails:

Base color: Flormar Matte White Board and two coats of Pierre René #236
Stamping decal: flower image from ÜberChic plate 1-02 stamped with MdU polish Blue Navy from the Frozen set , filled with Essie Bikini So Teeny. Read More......

Topatopa stamping plate TP05 review

Hey ladies, I was growing out my acrylic nails, so these are finally my natural nails! Yee-haw!

The 2010 Miu Miu Spring collection showed the famous swallows print, which has been copied by every low priced fashion brand ever since:

Source: miu miu

I used a fabulous topatopa stamping plate TP05 to recreate this pattern. Topatopa is a French brand which somehow didn't show up much in popular US/Canadian nail art blogs. What a shame! Isn't it totally cool?

Source: Topatopa.fr

This plate is absolutely fabulous - even the fine lines of the rose pattern in the middle are perfectly etched (great for decals btw!). The shop delivers internationally, shipping to Europe was very reasonable (€3,55 for 4 plates).
How do you like it?

Base color: Inglot O2 #674
Stamping: topatopa TP05 stamped with MdU Black.  They ship worldwide.
Matte top coat: Wax Me by Cult Nails Read More......

Marianne Nails Africa plate No. 13

Hi everyone,

I've got a beautiful new stamping plate from Marianne Nails called "Africa" and tried something new: grungy tone-in-tone stamping.

I'm not really sure how I feel about these nails, but the plate is superb! The etching is perfect and the patterns are pretty cool.

As for the grungy effect - I was trying to follow Meghan's Dreamcatcher tutorial, but my grungy border got out of hand ;) I guess I'd have to practice more. However I like the idea of tone-in-tone stamping and would definitely try this style again.

Base color: two coats of Barry M Coconut
Grungy effect: China Glaze Foie Gras, thinned with some polish thinner to build up the color towards the edges
Stamping: patterns from Marianne Nails plate "Africa" No.13, stamped with Mundo de Uñas Chocolate.

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31DC2014, Day 08: Metallic snowflakes with Kiko 856

With temperatures in Hamburg dropping below zero, I feel it's high time for some metallic winter mani:

Kiko #856 is a dark blue, almost navy metallic polish. Cool color, which is a perfect match for dark jeans. The formula was good - I mostly needed 2 coats, which dried pretty fast.
The snow flake pattern comes from the Cheeky Jumbo Plate 6 ("Happy Holidays") .

Base color: Kiko #856, bought in a Kiko Shop in Hamburg
Texture: a great textured silver polish Maxybelt Arena Plata, bought on my holiday in South America
Stamping: Pattern from Cheeky "Happy Holidays" plate, stamped with Essie No Place Like Chrome Read More......

[AiS]: Stamping over a striped background

There was an interesting challenge in Adventure in Stamping FB group for today: stamping over a striped background. I thought combining stripes and stamping would not be easy, so I decided to try it :)

It was a tough job to think of a style with stripes and stamping. I didn't want to stamp hearts, bows or kisses, so I ended up with this. I cannot say I love this mani, although it'd be probably a cute look for a holiday at the beach.  But hey, a challenge is a challenge, and I'm glad I've managed to think at least of something :)

Base color:  p2 Gel Look Crazy Beauty  (matches perfectly to the MdU stamping polish!) and Cult Nails Tempest (white)  for my middle and ring fingers.
Stamping: Stripes from MoYou Pro XL 01 plate, stamped with Mundo de Uñas #49, Lavender. Flowers from MoYou Pro XL 06, stamped with MdU #29 neon pink.
Studs: 1mm neon studs from Ebay Read More......

The Lacquer Legion: Weird Science

Once I saw the next topic of The Lacquer Legion I just had to participate. Being an IT consultant, it's clear what science instantly came to my mind: computer science!!! So here I am, with my IT inspired mani:

Admittedly, I wasn't very creative for the "Weird Science" topic, but I wanted to use the BM-415 and my new MoYou Sci Fi 06 stamping plates for ages! For more realistic look I also added some golden dots with a toothpick.

I used Mundo de Uñas stamping polish called Avocado (#39). As for me, MdU have the BEST stamping polishes - great color range, most bright colors stamp even over black. Unfortunately, MdU - a Mexican retailer -  stopped shipping internationally. The whole nail art community is anxiously awaiting their shop to resume international service. Let me know, if you hear any news there!

Base color: Cult Nails Fetish (one coat!!!)
Stamping: Bundle Monster BM-415 and MoYou Sci Fi 06 with Mundo de Uñas  Aquacate + some random dots with Essie Good As Gold and a toothpick :)

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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 29: Inspired by the supernatural

I was determined to finish the 31 Day challenge from last year, but I see all these awesome manis on the net - and I quickly forget my actual goal ;).

C'mon, there are only three manis left and then I'm done with my first ever nail art challenge :) Here comes my supernatural mani:

Apparently a just cannot stop buying MoYou stamping plates, so it's high time I start using them!!! The base for this mani is a light blue gradient. Then I randomly sponged grey, beige and mud colored nail polishes to create the rocky bottom and stamped the cute mermaid and water plant patterns on top of it.
My top coat smeared a bit, but thank god I noticed it before ruining the design completely.

Base color: pale blue gradient with Formula X Infatuated and China Glaze Bahamian Escape, added spots of Picture Polish Whimsy around the stamped patterns
Rocks: sponged different grey polishes on top of each other
Waterp pants: pattern from the MoYou Sailor Collection 04, stamped with dark green Essence Deep Sea, Baby
Mermaid: pattern from MoYou Fairytale Collection 02 stamping plate with Konad black stamping polish Read More......

Nailz Craze and Essie "Meet the Parents"

I've bought the Nailz Craze NC03 stamping plate ages ago, but totally forgot about it. What a pity, just look at this cute swirly pattern:

This is the plate I used:

Initially I bought the plate because of the fair isle pattern on the right.  But after I received it, I also fell in love with the unique floral patterns and the cute Russian dolls. It's spring in Hamburg, so I decided to go for the floral design:

Essie's Meet the Parents, which was the base for my middle and ring fingers, is from the new Essie Wedding 2014 collection. The formula is quite sheer, a little streaky at first and needs three coats. But it's not that bad and the color is quite unique and absolutely beautiful - a muted, dusty light blue. I have a light to medium skin tone and still this cooler toned color looks good on me, right? I also saw this polish on a very dark skin and it looked awesome as well.

Base color: Essie Meet the Parents (bought on my trip to NY) and Essie Blue Rhapsody (index finger)
Stamping: Nailz Craze plate NL03, bought on Etsy, stamped with Essie Blue Rhapsody
Glitter: my pinkie is covered with Maxybelt Arena Plata - a sand glitter polish (bought for $2 during my trip to South America... What a deal, right?) Read More......

New York mani

My hubby and I have just returned from our trip to New York. What an incredible city!  We dreamed about going to NY for so long, I was giddy with anticipation before we left. And naturally I had to do a NY mani!

The skyline comes from the fantastic Bundle Monster plate BM-414. I was so excited, I couldn't stamp straight ;) The resulting image is more like New York fata morgana to be frank ;).
Mani done, I felt prepared to go:

Despite my "wavy" stamping I loved my nails. And it was a huge success in NY ("Oh, I love your nails!" and "Oh, this is New York! So cool!"). Who new that nails could be such a conversation starter! :D

Gradient: Mint Polish Tart, China Glaze Sugar High, CG Fade Into Hue, Essie Midnight Cami over one layer of no-name white
Stamping: BM-414 with A-England Camelot Read More......

31DC2013, Day 23: Inspired by a movie

Hey there, I went skiing, but came back with all limbs still attached. Phew! ;)

I'm on day 23 of the 31 Day Challenge. So no way I'm giving up now! The movie topic was a tough one. I've seen so many Nemo, Despicable Me and Superman manis, I had to think of something else. How convenient that my hubby gave me the James Bond stamping plate for Xmas!!! ;) I had it on my wish list and since my dearest is a big fan of 007,  he was instantly convinced that I really need it :D

Aren't they fun? I think I love these blood splatters the most! Some of my friends instantly started humming the Bond-theme, when they saw my nails :D

And this is the VL-007 stamping plate by Vivid Lacquer I used:

I had a tough time to decide which images to stamp and how to combine them. The wave pattern on the top is too wide even for my nail shape, so I positioned more to the left on my ring finger.  It would surely cover your nail completely, if you wish so. 

 

I was too eager to stamp, so I didn't even think that Mr. Bond would end up being upside down ;)

Base color: white Cult Nails Tempest and Cult Nails Fetish for my pinkie
Stamping: Vivid Lacquer stamping plate VL-007 bought on Etsy with delivery to Europe, stamped with Konad black stamping polish; blood splatters with Rapid Red Insta Dri by Sally Hansen (got it on sale in a TKMaxx outlet store in Hamburg)
Top Coat: matte top coat Wax That by Cult Nails

Which patterns from this plate would you combine? I'm not sure about using other colors... What do you think?

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Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you're having a wonderful time with your family or friends!
I'm having my own way to express my joy over this cozy and cheerful holiday - I've been waiting for months to do this Three Kings Christmas mani :)

The awesome shapes of camel riders are stamped using Messy Mansion's Christimas plate MM01.

I saw this design in summer and had to order the plate IMMEDIATELY. Then I've waited patiently month after month for the right day to recreate it. Finally!!! :) I'm being a total copycat here, but c'mon, isn't it just awesome!?!

I used dark blue and two gold glitter polishes to create the glittery background. I didn't have my camera with me so it was really difficult to capture the amazing sparkle of the China Glaze's I'm Not A Lion.
I love this mani - it is so festive and glittered perfectly in the candle light :)

Base color: my trusty blue Midnight Cami by Essie

Glitter: China Glaze I'm Not A Lion and some big gold glitter by Essence called Gold Fever
Top Coat: Northern Lights over the top ("sky")-part of the nail and a coat of Seche Vite

Enjoy the second Christmas day and prepare yourself for the New Year Paa-haarty!!! :)

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31DC2013, Day 15: Delicate Print

Watch out for mani-snails - I've reached the middle of the September's 31 Day challenge ;). I wanted to do the nude-and-black mani for ages, so idea for this style was born long time ago. Couple of weeks ago I also won a Bundle Monster giveaway from Kelsie's blog (follow Kelsie's Nailfiles for more inspiration, it's worth it!). So finally I was prepared to experiment with black lacy patterns:

It's not perfect, but I love it!!! I like the combo, but I'm not sure if the mani would have looked even better with my index finger un-stamped.  Hmmm, a small golden stud instead of the print... Tough question :)

Base color: fantastic nude by Deborah Lippmann called Naked
Stamping: patterns from Bundle Monster 2012 set (BM-310 and BM-312) stamped with my trusty Camelot (perfect black by A-England).
Studs: golden studs bought on ebay on my thumbs and pinkies Read More......

31DC2013, Day 13: Animal Print

October is almost at its end and I haven't even reached the middle of the 31 Day Challenge. At this pace I'll be probably creating manis for this challenge in January :D

I have a fantastic spring-green silk scarf with zebras on it. It's such a fun accessory, I really love it. So the idea for the animal print nails was there even before I really started to think about it. I'm not totally into the resulting style, but it was a good mani training:

The colors, the pattern -  it was too much for me, so I added the matte finish to make the look more calm:

Base color: Essie's Shake Your $$ Makers
Gradient: black China Glaze Liquid Leather
Stamping: Zebra print from Konad plate m57 stamped with A-England Camelot
Matte Top Coat: Cult Nails Wax That

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31DC2013: Day 10, Gradient Nails

I wanted to try some unusual color combination for the gradient day of the challenge, so I went for rust color + dark green gradient. I like this autumn mani. Would a lighter version of the same green have been better? Probably... But I like it anyway :)

Gradient: Sponged Essence Deep Sea, Baby(dark green) and Barielle Rusty Vintage Boots (rust colored) over 2 coats of Barielle polish
Stripes: stamped stripes pattern from an OB-Nail XXL E stamping plate bought on ebay, with the same Essence green polish (yeehaa, another regular polish, which is great for stamping!) Read More......

31DC2013: Day 08, Metallic Nails

I got a fantastic Barielle set of 6 nail polishes for just EUR 9,99 at an outlet store. Barielle is not common in Germany, so I was really happy to get the set, which included this pale gold goddess color.

Base color: Barielle Gold Digger
Stamping: patterns from Cheeky plate A stamped with A-England Dorian Grey (dark grey)
Studs: golden studs bought on ebay Read More......

31DC2013: Day 07, Black & White Nails

I must admit, I went a little bit crazy on stamping since I got my Cheeky stamping plates. It's so much fun to stamp with them, that I just cannot stop :D. As you can clearly see on my black-and-white day of the 31 Day Challenge ;).

Except for my index finger, on which I used striping tape, all other patterns come from the fantastic Cheeky stamping plates I ordered online here.
Base color & stripes: Cult Nails Tempest (the "easiest" white I own, bought directly from Cult Nails with delivery to Germany) and Cult Nails Fetish: oh my, it's the grungy, almost matte black. It looked mega cool on its own, so next time I'm feeling like a rock babe, I'm wearing it with studs!
Stamping: Patterns form Cheeky Jumbo plate A and 2013 Plate "Musical Nails" , stamped with Jolfin black stamping polish. Read More......

#31DC2013: Day 04, Green Nails

I'm doing the challenge in my own pace and it is so much fun!!! I must confess though, the idea for today's mani was entirely not mine :) I saw this amazing design and had to order the stamping plate MM16 by Messy Mansion immediately! :) I looked forward to the "green" day of the challenge, so I could recreate the design:

Since I didn't have the same shade of green as the sample mani, I decided to try sponging several green shades and even some gold over each other. I absolutely adore this newly discovered marble-like sponging technique!!! It is so easy, so I will definitely do this kind of color blending again!

I thought that black stamps with only one green accent nail looked very dark on my wide nails. The black hid the vibrant green color, so I added just one inverted stamp to my right hand.

Base Color: two coats of grass green Essie Shake Your $$ Makers, than randomly sponged some China Glaze I'm With The Lifeguard(neon green with shimmer), CG Sun-Kissed (neon marker-yellow), P2 Perfectly Good(dark green) and P2 Next Exit: Party! (gold)
Stamping: MM16 plate by Messy Mansion ordered online stamped with black Jolfin stamping polish.
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#31DC2013: Day 03, Yellow Nails

I had to wait for the casual Friday to wear yellow nails to work ;)  My favorite sunny yellow polish is just too bright for my business meetings :-D Yellow Nails was a tough task as well. I could only think of lemons, bees and warning signs. But since I didn't have much time for my mani, I decided not to risk it and just do some cute stamps over one of my favorite combinations it did here - bright yellow China Glaze Sun Worshiper and golden liquid sunlight indie polish by Different Dimension.

Base color: one coat of Different Dimension Mr. Noisy over two coats of China Glaze Sun Worshiper
Stamping: patterns from various stamping plates (Konad m59, OB-NAIL XXL Plate E bought on Ebay from us-nails-arena) stamped with Jolfin black stamping polish. Read More......