A Late Halloween Post

I'm a little late sharing this on the blog but had shared on IG a few days ago but didn't get time to do a blog post until now but wanted to share now before I forgot!  

Started with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Revlon Alluring Amber, OPI Life Game Me Lemons and FingerPaints Abstract Amethyst.  

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

I had made a stamper decal with an image from Konad Square 1 and applied it on the thumb; I had used the base polishes from the other fingers for it and just thought it was the coolest image since sliced bread!  I think next year, I want to do all five nails with this image and have like stamper decal Jamberry's! Anyway, used images from Chez Halloween 002 (middle), Delaney Halloween 005 (index), Chez Delaney Halloween 005 (pinky) and  ZZ Scream (ring) using MdU 2. For the image on the ring finger, I had omitted the moon initially when I stamped in black, then isolated the image and restamped it with a clear stamper using EdK Kaa and placed it with a clear stamper.

Added a final coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.

If you know my nails, you know I like them busy so added a bunch of dots as filler using same base polishes. It made the nails a little funner and less spooky but that's OK.

Finished with a final coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

I didn't get as much time as I wanted to do Halloween nails but I hope you enjoyed the few I did this year anyway!

Thanks for looking!

Forgotten Valentine's Nails!

It seems I did these last year, or maybe the year before, or the year before...can't say for sure now! Regardless, I never got around to sharing!  I don't think these are the best pix but I do like how they turned out; not sure why I never shared them!  I don't have all the info for this either as I've had a couple phone crashes which is where I keep my mani notes but will give as much info as possible!

Started with a base of two coats of Revlon Rich.

Stamped using Messy Mansion MM03.  I can't say for sure which stamping polishes were used, sorry.

Messy Mansion MM03

Added a few accent hearts.

Top coated to finish.

Ms. Cindy; a little different but still cute!

Awwww, how sweet!

I can't say for sure, but when I look through my pix, I think these were taken in 2014.  Interesting to see what I did back then; I think my photos are better now if nothing else and I rarely have my nails these long anymore just because I think they look nicer a little bit shorter but still do like how these turned out!

Thanks for looking!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone celebrating today!  These were the nails I was wearing on Thanksgiving Day back in October which is when us Canadians celebrate giving thanks.

Started with a base of skittles; polishes used starting at thumb and going clockwise are OPI Life Gave Me Lemons, Essie So Racy, Essence Wake Up!, Sally Hansen Butterscotch and Revlon Hot For Chocolate; all two coats; shown with top coat.

I made a stamper decal from my favourite Thanksgiving image, Infinity 65.  I used acrylic paints; I tried to do some shading on the leaves, squash and pumpkin using darker complimentary colours; not sure how successful this was lol!

Applied stamper decal to the thumb, then stamped using Bundle Monster BM-H11 (index and pumpkin on pinky) and Messy Mansion MM23 (middle and ring).  I used the clear jelly stamper to place the images on the middle and ring fingers; it works so awesome for things like this!

Top coated to finish.  There was some drag from the top coat brush; it took me a few mani's to figure out what was causing it but it was a faulty brush; I just exchanged it with an empty bottle) and added a little white to the middle fingers. My brush work needs practise as you can see lol!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for looking!

Digit-al Dozen Does Inspired by Pinterest; Day 1

Welcome back to Digit-al Dozen week!  This weeks theme is inspired by Pinterest or magazine covers; probably one of the hardest challenges for me so far!  I only use Pinterest to pin my manis and recipes; I don't browse it for ideas and had no idea what to search for inspiration, etc. so had a hard time finding things to inspire me.  But I did come across a few things that I can tie a mani into; this is Day 1 being fall leaves.

Pix from Pinterest; credit from Today.com.

Started with a base of two coats of Revlon Hot Chocolate; this is no top coat.

Added a coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

In the shade...dark and moody!

I had found craft punches at the dollar store; I wasn't sure which colours I'd be using so did a bunch of polish swatches on tape and masking tape; the tape backing makes them a little sturdier when using the punch.

The polishes I ended up using were, starting at thumb, are Pebble Beach Topez Step, Nabi Metallic Red Wine, Pebble Beach Fire Opal Step, Pebble Beach Topez Step and SpaRitual Electrum.  I really loved the look of these Pebble Beach polishes; I had found them at random dollar store a couple years ago, only paid a dollar or so each for them and they turned out to be diamonds in the rough as the texture was very cool! These have been applied and topped with topcoat.

By far my favourite finger was the thumb; the colours went together really well and it laid down nicely on the nail.

I did the right hand a little different; instead of applying the punched out leaf piece on the nail, I punched out the shape using the punch, then applied the tape with the image void directly on the nail, then polished it over like you would with a nail vinyl; application was so much better and I will probably do it like this from now on lol!

Shade pix.

Here's the other ladies Day 1 Pinterest inspired mani's!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking!

Digit-al Dozen Does Autumn; Day 5

Here's it is; Day 5 of Digit-al Dozen autumn week!  I thought I'd save my favourite mani for last, being my first Halloween mani of the season!  Here's what I came up with!

I was trying to think of something a little different for this Halloween mani (not sure if I succeeded) but my thought process was assortment of colours which would fade to one another.  So the pinky was to be black, with the next finger to be black and white, to white, to white and orange to orange.  Does that make sense? To do this, started with skittles of Revlon Alluring Amber, three fingers of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and pinky of Funky Fingers Dark Knight; all two coats with top coat.

Earlier in the summer, I had seen these really cool nail vinyls used by my Digit-al Dozen nail pal CopyCat Claws here, which are available from vinyl boutique.  I thought they might add some cool interest and something a little outside the box for the mani. Unfortunately, my experience with nail vinyls is limited; I've only used them once or twice and just single lines.  So I was fully expect ting the voids to remain on the paper when I pulled off the vinyl part.  But that didn't happen as you can see below.  I ended up punching through the cuttings with a wooden cuticle stick (pain in the arse!) and found for the second one that if you start the punch out in the far side of them before you peel the vinyl off, they stick to the backing way better.  So the second one pulled away as it was suppose to, after I had punched them at the edge with a cuticle stick that is.  I can't say is this is typical or nail vinyls or just this style as again, I've only used nail vinyls a couple times and single lines at that.  Once I knew what to do to make them work a little easier, it was OK, but was a little frustrated on the first one because I was expecting the lines to stay on the backing when I peeled it and then it wasn't the easiest to get them to peel with so small lines once it was free of the backing, but prepunching the side wall just a little at the corner on the vinyl helped a lot the second time around.

I have limited experience using vinyls but this is when I applied it to the nail.  

Blobbing on the polish.  Do not do this!  I was of the thought that more is better but not the case; between my excess use of polish and not pushing the vinyl down to the nail side enough, I had flooding on the side wall of the nail.  

I was going to redo the nail, but after cleanup of the orange off the white stripes using acetone and brush, I decided I could live with it. This is after both nails have been vinyled, used same polishes as the bases. Not perfect but not bad for a beginner!

Added coat of top coat before stamping.

Stamped spiderwebs using an image from Bunny Nails HD-C using Funky Fingers Gesso, Dark Knight and MdU 53.

Top coated before more stamping.

Added spiders using MoYou Festive Collection-16 using same stamping polishes.

Top coated to finish.

The next morning, I thought a spider on the middle nail would add a little more to the mani so stamped using Chez Halloween003 using Funky Fingers Dark Knight and top coated to finish.

Here's the other ladies Day 5 autumn nails!  The ladies as usual have had phenomenal autumn nails!  

I still have a few more fall mani's to share and hopefully more Halloween nails over the next couple weeks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking! 

Citrus Looking Marble

I should preface this mani by saying a couple things; this was one of the first mani's I did after my recent episode of swelling hands when they finally didn't look like little fat sausages and I could finally hold a polish brush...somewhat.  After the swelling went down, I then had subsequent skin peeling around my nails so the skin is all funny and pretty red from the shedding.  Also, during the time I wasn't able to do my nails, I guess my daughter visited my nail room and adjusted all the lighting so it's just not as I had it.  While I know my lighting system has never been perfect, I do know it was better than portrayed in these pix!  So I'll slowly have to work on my hands and lighting, but in the meanwhile, I was just so happy to finally be able to do my nails again that none of that matters to me right now!  Because I still don't have a whole lot of strength in my hands as they still aren't 100% and because they are still sore from swelling and peeling, I'm sticking pretty much with cremes and holos to make sure I have somewhat easy removal, but all in all, I was pretty happy how this mani turned out all things considering!

Started with a base of China Glaze Lemon Fizz (no pix as have shown before).  Then sponged on Nubar Green Tea and Revlon Alluring Amber randomly.  

I have to admit, I wasn't too thrilled with the results of this colour combination even though it was one I had in my mind for a while now.  But I thought I would carry on and worse case if I didn't like the end result, it's just a little remover and a new canvas!  Decided to add OPI Don't Speak which is from the Gwen Stefani Holiday 2014 collex for some interest.

Still not terribly impressed; it wasn't looking good lol!

For stamping, used an image from Pet'la Aloha on all fingers except accent which is Apipila P.2 , using FunkyFingers Gesso.



Pet'la Aloha




Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.


Oddly enough, I really was happy how the mani came all together although I really wasn't too sure it would!

Just before I removed it, added a coat of OPI matte; liked the look of this too!



Thanks for looking!