Silver Valentine Nails

I have been going through some old computer files because I was getting warnings that I was running low on disk space.  I came upon this mani I did around this time last year that I had not yet shared and had to laugh at myself.  When I'm going to do a series of manis like for a holiday or theme, I go through all my plates and take out the appropriate plates that have an image on them what I might want to use.  That way, when I sit down to do the mani, I only have to look through a short stack of plates.  Well obviously these images are favourites because they made their way onto my nails last year and again this year...including two on the exact same nails in this mani that I shared not too long ago here.  I thought this was very funny!  Here's the mani that I did back back in January 2015.

Started with a base of two coats of Elevation Polish Silversword.

I'm not sure which stamping polish this is sorry as I can't remember and didn't have it in my notes but I'm gathering from the look at it that it is FAB red as it is a little brigther than Konad red.  Plates used are Sugar Bubbles SB 015 (pinky), Sugar Bubbles SB 029 (ring), MJ JR-1 (thumb), Infinity 88 (index) and Sugar Bubbles SB 011.

Sugar Bubbles SB 015

Infinity 88

MJ JR-1

Sugar Bubbles SB 029

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on top to finish.

It is so odd looking back at these pix a year later; they don't even look like my nails as I rarely keep them this long.  

Thanks for looking!

Valentine Hearts

With February 1st being here, I guess it's time to share some Valentine's appropriate manis! This isn't over the top, in your face Valentine's Day nails but stamped hearts make it appropriate; here's what I came up with!

One of my recent polish loves has been flakies.  Can't seem to get enough of them!  So when I was browsing my polish stash for something to wear, I spied Elevation Polish Cloud Peak and immediately decided it had to be worn!  This is two coats, no top coat.

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

I was torn on what to stamp on top of this; I didn't want to cover the polish too much.  Ultimately decided upon UberChic 6-01 using Mundo de Unas MdU 21.  I'm not sure if this was the right stamping polish colour but my thought was to go with something close to the flakie flash.

UberChic UC6-01

I wish I could have found a stamping plate that had the solid hearts to accent these void ones as I know many exist but was tired so went with the same image on all fingers.  I would have added studs too if only I had a stud in either one of these colours.  Just something extra to jazz it up a bit.  But I still could wear this every day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Thanks for looking!

40 Great Nail Art Ideas Does Glitter/Flakies + Leopard

This weeks theme for 40 Great Nail Art Idea challenge is glitter/flakies; I had the added prompt of leopard. I've never seen a glitter/flakie leopard but love a challenge!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of two coats of OPI My Vampire is Buff, topped with one coat of Elevation Polish Aguja St. Exupery; this is no top coat.

This is topped with a coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  The flakies are faint but they are there!

For leopard, did an accent nail with a face (of what I hope is a) leopard using an image from ZZ Animal Print 3, with leopard print from Infinity 60 using Funky Fingers Dark Knight.  

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  This neutral look is my favourite!

ZZ Animal Print 3

Infinity 60

I wanted to go for a more realistic look, so decided to do some brush work; added blotches using China Glaze Desert Sun.

Did the face on the thumb simply by adding dots here and there with tip of brush.

Added in a few brushstrokes using China Glaze Kalahari Kiss to the four fingers and more dots on the face.  also painted eye on the thumb.

Finished with a coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  

Here's the other ladies glitter or flakies manis; there's lots of variety as we all have different prompts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a great weekend; thanks for looking!

Digit-al Dozen Does Inspired by Pinterest; Day 4

This mani is inspired by a picture I seen on Pinterest (somewhat) as well as the base inspiration from Amanda Loves Polish of Facebook with her picture here (hopefully that link works; I couldn't find the nails on her blog.)  Amanada had done a mani with Enchanted Candy Taffy and Rainbow Juice with Pulp! that I absolutely loved but unfortunately, I don't have either one of those polishes.  But I did use it for the basis of my inspiration for this mani; here's what I came up with!

Pinterest inspiration.

Pinterest indicated this was pinned from craftymorning.com so photo credit to them!

Started with a base of two coats of Nicole by OPI Baby Blue; this is with no top coat.

Added layer of Elevation Polish LE Stone Warrior.

Topped with Girly Bits What A Rush QD TC before stamping.

I didn't want to hid the base polishes too much so decided to stamp using an image from UberChic UC3-03 using Funky Fingers Gesso.

UberChic UC3-03

Top coated with GirlyBits What A Rush QD TC to finish.

Here's the other ladies Day 4 mani's!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking!

Pansies!

One of my favourite types of glitter is micro glitter.  Also, really love big circular glitter!  Really big or really small; love them both!  Heck, who am I kidding; I love all the glitters!!!  But I do have a special fondness for micro glitter.  With it being so densely packed, it makes for an interesting stamping base (even though I didn't stamp on it here lol)   The use of peel off bases means that I've been wearing glitter more then ever!  So after buying a few of the Love, Angeline Harmonious Gemstones from Harlow & Co. earlier this summer....then buying a few more direct from Love, Angeline, has had me wearing quite a few mani's with microglitter of some sort in them!  For some reason, I have neglected to share any yet so thought I would now; here's what I came up with!   

Started with a base of two coats of Elevation Polish Grand Teton Station with an accent of two coats Love, Angeline Orchestrated Amethyst; both have no top coat.  I really liked that two coats of the microglitter had great coverage, no bald spots at all.  I have been using UNT peel off base for glitter lately (bought direct from UNT; they ship internationally and had free shipping but don't be fooled by that video; my experience has been that it only peels off like that when its still tacky which results in goopy, intermingling of polish and base coat, fyi).  You have to pop it off other products but it is the easiest product that pops off yet that I've found fyi.).  The only thing I would caution is that you wait a good 10 minutes for it to be good and dry. Otherwise, the glitter intermingles with the peel off base and then you got a goopy, bumpy, uneven mess. Which I have done more than once because I hate waiting for base or quick dry or glitter peel off or cuticle guard or whatever to dry.  

Topped all but the accent with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  The Elevation Polish, which has the formula with the top coat already built into it,  is one of those colour changers that will change slightly when you use your regular top coat on it.  I always do this even though it has built in top coat, so it  made the polish slightly darker (in fact, if you look closely, you can see where I applied top coat and where I missed the polish and the difference).



Stamped using and image from SdP 98 using FunkyFingers Gesso.


SdP 98


Applied top coat....and had top coat altering event when the polish base leeches into the stamping polish which is one of my stamping pet peeves. Grrrr! While I had no plans other than leaving the stamping white and maybe a stud to accent, I thought I would add to the pansies a little more just to see how it turned out.



I did some "lead lighting" for back of better words, using 10.1 Kiwi Delight and Plum-tastic.



Added a bit of the Love, Angeline Orchestrated Amethyst to the pansies for interest.



Added a few dots (in hindsight, wished dots were smaller and closer together, but hindsight is wonderful as the saying goes!)


Added gold stud to accent.  Complimented the gold in the microglitter nicely, I think!



While I prefer the matte look usually of the microglitter, I have a terrible issue with losing studs if I don't top coat them, so finished with KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.




I wore mani, after mani, after mani of microglitter (I do this will all things that hold my interest for a few days lol!) but it makes for not so interesting blogging so they will be shared at some time!  So far, I've been using the microglitter mainly as accents but I'm sure that will change over the next little while too!

Love, Angeline is available via Harlow & Co. or their estore here.  They do ship to Canada; the shop also has a wide arrangements of other nail items such vinyls and cuticle oils; they also have Mani Crush Fizzies which I have bought and like to use too.  As the Mani Crush Fizzies comes in a crushed state, I can control the amount of product I use; even when I've bought the mani bombs, I always crush them up to extend them (being the thrifter, that I am lol - hey, it all goes towards more plates and polish so worth it!)

Thanks for looking!