Under The Sea

Here's a mani that I had originally done for Digit-al Dozen Gradient week so as to not post only pink and/or purple nails.  But when Laurie at Dressed Up Digits did this fabulous under the sea mani, I didn't want to post one too during the same week, so chose to go with the posts I had already uploaded and decided to share this afterwards.  Not that it really mattered; there are occasionally times that the ladies in the group have similar manis or the same theme for challenges and its all good; it was just my personal choice to wait and I had lots of other challenge appropriate mani's to share anyway!

Started with a base of Nvr Enuff Proto; this is two coats, no topcoat, except middle which I nicked during cleanup and it has a third coat to cover.

Added a coat of Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC before stamping.

As I was doing this mani for the DD gradient theme, did a stamped gradient using MoYou Beach House, MdU 3 and MdU 30 using an image from Sugar Bubbles SB 038.  I didn't stamp the accent as the plan was to paint round nail studs in the same three colours then put them on the accent.  But anyone who has ever painted nail studs knows how finicky this is; when I went to pick them up to adhere, they weren't dry and it went downhill from there, so I just abandoned the idea. (I still like the idea of painting nail studs to match your mani polish but still need to come up with a way to do this easily.  If anyone has any ideas, please share!)

Sugar Bubbles SB 038

So stamped the accent nail as well using same polishes and design.

Topped with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC to finish.  And I did think this was the end of the mani until I thought.....hmmm, this might be a good base for some double stamping and as this is water, some fish might be the way to go.

So using an image from Chez Delaney Marin A001 and Funky Fingers Gesso, added some under water interest.  I originally tried to stamp with a clear stamper to try to added more fish here and there but no clear stamper would cooperate, so ended up using traditional one.  

Chez Delaney Marin A001






Finished it off with a coat of Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC.



I've been super busy at work this week; I think I've already worked more hours than in a typical work week and am typing this post before heading into work Friday morning.....so haven't done my 40 Great Nail Art Idea challenge nails yet but hopefully will get a chance to do them soon.

Thanks for looking!

A Scary Snake!

I'm not sure what possessed me to do this mani other than when I was looking through my plate stash, I seen this cool snake image on BFF 31, then thought it might be a cool use of one of the bottles of  ILNP flakies that I just got but haven't used yet.  The next thing I knew, it was on my nails!

Started with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on all fingers.  Added a thin coat of ILNP Success on ring and index fingers.  I made three stamper decals using images from BFF 31 (the tail is from the tiger on the same plate) using combination of acrylic paints and ILNP Success.  Note that the snake head image was shrunk first using the UberChic Luxe Stamper, then restamped on Konad regular to make the stamper decal.  I actually made a regular size decal one too but there was no way it was going to fit on my nails; even the shrunken version didn't all make it on my nail.

 Then stamped ring and index finger with an image from Yours YS05.

Yours YS05

Top coated with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC to finish.

The next day when I was out and about, I noticed that the flakies were much more visible and shifty in the daylight, so took another pix; I'm glad I did as these ones look the best, I think.  I also wanted to apply matte top coat before I took them off....but forgot.  Next time!

This isn't something that I normally wear on my nails but I didn't mind it!  I really like the effect that the flakies added and am really happy that I finally got some ILNP flakies, even though you don't seem to see them being used much lately.  Always late to the party but at least I made it!

Thanks for looking!

Prince Tribute Mani

I was as shocked as most to hear of the sudden passing of Prince last week.  So when I sat down to do my nails last night, while I was humming Little Red Corvette....then Purple Rain.....then When Doves Cry, I did this mani.  

Started with a base of two coats of Lippmann Shoshanna; shown with no top coat.  

While I really wanted to do a water marble base, there's not enough purple Pipe Dreams and I was experimenting with some other polishes and wasn't have that great success.  So decided to go with some sponging for added interest using L'Oreal Pop of Plaid and Essie Shade On.  

After topping with top coat, stamped with Chez Divers 005 using Funky Fingers Gesso.

Added some silver glitter using Konad glitter stripper.

Added image from MoYou Roxy Collection-06 using Funky Fingers Dark Knight.

Made a couple stamper decals.

MoYou Rockstar Collection-13

Added stamper decal which was an image from MoYou Rockstar Collection-13.

Stamped an image from MoYou Back to the 70's-01.  Modified it a bit by removing mouth and added a bit more hair to make it more like the hairstyle I see Prince rocking.  Added some funky purple glasses.  Stamped rain drops on pinky using UberChic UC 3-03, then stamped image on pinky using an image from Fab Ur Nails FUN 4.

MoYou Back to the 70's-01

Added couple of purple doves using an image from MdU 1. 

MdU 1

Added Little Red Corvette decal on thumb, added 1999 from MoYou Zodiac 16, lips from MoYou Bridal Collection-01 (ticked I didn't use smaller lips as I had pulled the image but forgot about it) , Kiss from Chez Divers 001, and music notes from Chez Musique 001.  

MoYou Zodiac Collection-16, 

Top coated it all with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC to finish.

RIP, Prince.

Thanks for looking!

40 Great Nail Art Ideas Does Animals

It's 40 Great Nail Art Ideas challenge; this weeks theme is animals.  I thought for today's mani, I would do a tribute mani to our family fur baby, Spike.  Although its been two weeks now since he has no longer been with us, we still expect to see him greeting us at the door when we get home, watch for him to be sitting at the patio door to be let out, check the area where his water and food bowl was kept to see if he needs any. I guess this will pass in time, but all this is still fresh in our minds and we still look for him and think we hear his bark every now and then. 

R.I. P. Spike

Started with a base of two coats of Lippman Run, Run Rudolph, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and one coat of Funky Fingers Dark Knight.  Topped with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC.

Stamped using images from Uber Chic Furry Best Friends using Funky Fingers Gesso, Funky Fingers Dark Knight and Konad red special polish.  The letters are from Nailways Back to Basics 123 ABC using original clear jelly stamper (which is only stamper I could get to pick up images for the letters as well as placing images on the thumb).  

UberChic UC Furry Best Friends

Topped with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC to finish.

Here's the other ladies animal mani's!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking!

Fugly is Looking Pretty Normal Nowadays

I feel that in some ways, this mani is getting back to my nail roots; one of my early favourite things to do with manis was to add dots here and there for some interest but I haven't done it a whole lot recently it seems. However, once I stamped these nails, they needed something a little more so added the dots too for a little extra colour!

Started with a base of Nerd Lacquer Some Bastard Who's Presumably Responsible; two coats, no top coat.  There were no application issues.  

Top coated with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC before stamping.

Added an image from Big SdP L using Funky Fingers Gesso stamping randomly for interest.  Well, tried to stamp randomly; I seen after the fact that the middle and ring finger were stamped identically lol!

Added dotted centers using CND Bicycle Yellow.

Top coated using Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC to finish.

Here's a close up of Nerd Some Bastard Who's Presumably Responsible.  You can see the base polish a little better; there's some gold flakies in there and black and bronze micro glitter for added interest.  This isn't a shade that usually appeals to me but sometimes there's an urge to wear what I called a fugly in the past but nowadays, it's no longer fugly but moreso a unique shade that I like to wear every now and then.

Thanks for looking!