Halloween Bloody Hands!

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it might be time to share a Halloween mani or two....and nothing says Halloween like a little blood and gore, right?

Started with an assortment of blood splatters.  For some reason, I was surprised there are quite a few splatter images; and these are just a sampling, I'm sure.  Images are from Apipla P.02 and P.12 using red Konad special polish.

Using same stamping polish, added drip on thumb from Apipila P.01 and hands from hehe057.**  Really liking the realistic looks of the stamping polish with a little texture before top coating; makes it a little gorier and realistic! 

Please note that this plate was received for review** from LadyQueen Beauty; here is the link to this hehe plate:  hehe057, NA0589 Nail Art Stamp Template.  Hehe057 has an assortment of images perfect for Halloween manis; I had no issues with transferring it using it the clear jelly stamper but my regular go to Fab Ur Nails semi-squishy.  No problems to report with the etching either.

Added both hand prints to the thumb.  Even though I used the clear jelly stamper, still had to run it into the drip a bit which I didn't want to do but can live with it.

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

Hehe057 and and others products are currently available as part of their Flash Sale for $0.99!  LadyQueen Beauty has a wide assortment of nail art products and other beauty supplies; for further savings, use code NYLC15 for a 15% discount!

Thanks for looking!

**Please note that this plate was offered for review from LadyQueen Beauty.  See disclosure policy for details.

Are We Tired of Fall Leaves Yet?

I was going to share this mani for the Digit-al Dozen autumn challenge, but had already shared something similar colour wise for my Thanksgiving Day nails here; so didn't.  But I really liked the way the leaves looked in that same mani and thought it might be kinda cool for a full mani so ended up doing something similar again; nothing like using your own mani for inspiration lol!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of Sally Hansen Butterscotch; two coats topped with tc.

Using an image from BundleMonster BM H-11, did a stamped gradient using MdU #53 and 59 as well as FUN red stamping polish.  The words on the accent nail is an image from Chez Automne001 using MdU #22; the leaves are from Messy Mansion MM23.  

Topped with QD TC to finish.

Thanks for looking!

More Fall Nails!

I know I shared a few fall mani's already; I did these nails over a week ago and had planned on sharing them as part of Digit-al Dozen autumn week but decided to share ones I liked better instead.  

Started with a base of one coat of Lilypad Lacquer The Pumpkin King.

Did a gradient using Lilypad Lacquer Skulloween.



There was a whole lot of sparkle and sheen happening with this mani; while I had originally wanted to add multicoloured leaves, I thought the base had enough action without a magnitude of stamping colours fighting for attention.  So went very simple using FUN red stamping polish using and image from MJ X.



Top coated to finish using GirlyBits What a Rush QD TC.



While the mani was OK, there was just a little too much sheen or somethingsomething that wasn't sitting right with me.  So topped with OPI matte, which toned it down a bit more to my liking.



 (Remember my post here where I had streaks through the stamped images from the top coat application; it did it this mani too being really noticeable on the index and pinky.  I've since figured out the cause which was an easy fix so hopefully there won't be any more scratchy images lol).

This isn't my most favourite mani ever but not my worst by any means.  Fall appropriate in colours anyway so might be inspiration for someone plus I always share the good with the bad!

Hope you're having a great weekend; thanks for looking!

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Geeks!

This post will be short and sweet as today is a rare occurrence that I have two posts in one day, but as two groups I'm in post today and I'm committed to both, two posts it is!  This is what I came up with for 40 Great Nail Art Ideas; this weeks theme is geeks!  

Started with a base of two coats of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls with a coat of GB What A Rush QD TC before stamping (no pix as have shown before).

Stamped using MoYou Back to the 50's Collection-03 (middle and pinky) and MoYou Back to the 20's Collection-03 (thumb, index and ring), using MdU #2, 15, 20, Konad red special polish and Funky Fingers Dark Knight. 

MoYou Back to the 20's-03

I hope my nails are geeky enough!

Here's the other mani's the ladies did for geeks challenge!

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! 

Digit-al Dozen Does Autumn; Day 4

It's Day 4 of Digit-al Dozen autumn week; today's mani features apple picking and the apple bounty as fall is harvest time in our area for apples.  In fact, I'm going to an orchird this weekend to get some (the ones already bagged; no hand picking for me!)  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of assortment of polishes; starting at thumb, they are China Glaze Bahamian Escape, then alternating OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and My Vampire is Buff.  Two coats, no top coat.

Did gradient on the thumb using CND Anchor Blue and top coated rest of the fingers.  (Please excuse all the fibres!)

I had made a stamper decal using an image from BundleMonster BM-H11 and acrylic paints.

Applied stamper decal to the index finger.  Then stamped images from Nailways Vive la Vie - Eat An Apple (middle), Messy Mansion MM23 (apples on ring), SdP 72 (part of cup from an image on ring to represent baskets), Dash 18 (pinky), Emily de Molly EDM 07 (tree on thumb) and MoYou Princess Collection 11 (kids on thumb).  Stamping polishes used were FUN red, and MdU #7 and #22.

Added apples to the ring and thumb using same FUN stamping polish and sun from EdM07 using MdU 11.

Nailsways Vive la Vie - Eat an Apple

Dash 18

EDM07

Added a few birds using Funky Fingers Dark Knight from MoYou Explorer Collection-10.

This is how it ended up!  

Top coated with Girly Bits What a Rush QD TC.  I noticed streaks through the images on several fingers; and unfortunately, this isn't the the first time I noticed it either.  Originally I thought it was from the scraper but I checked the pix I had taken and the streaks weren't in the stamped images before top coating.  I surmised even though I gooped on a good amount of TC that the brush bristles or something in the brush was causing this streaking as never had before.  

So I touched up the images (except the basket on the ring finger which I didn't see) and exchanged the brush with another part bottle I had and reapplied the TC and all seems well in top coat world again!

I should also point out that I had bought the clear stamper with the void at the bottom of the stamper so you can see exactly where the image is being stamped for placement purposes.  It is such a game changer in terms of stamping (for me anyway!).  I have read concerns about the stamper not picking up well or with it being fragile on FB (in fact, it comes with a note about it being fragile) but I've had no issues as of yet.  I didn't need to prime it at all, have used it on several mani's now with no problems on a variety of plates and even had to scrape off excess images off it with my fingernail with no ill effect to the stamper.  I myself didn't find it that fragile.  My only issue is I wish it was a little more crystal clear when you are looking through as its like looking down a scope and the image is a little distorted and it doesn't seem that the polish picked up too well but still workable and as you can see, the polish picks up fine.  I bought my clear jelly stamper here. Edit Oct 19 2015:  I was having some problems picking up some images with the stamper even though I had used it with no issues before.  I thought maybe it was a little finicky in that it will work with some plates but not others, but after some trial and error, discovered that it works best if you roll it to pick up the image, with a good amount of pressure.  Once I did this, no issues at all even on the plates I couldn't pick up before.  I still place and stamp down the image onto my nail for placement.  

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

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking!

Digit-al Dozen Does Autumn; Day 3

It's Day 3 of autumn week; this is really dark to what I typically wear but didn't mind it for a change!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of two coats of L'Oreal Brownie Points with accent of two coats of Love, Angeline Amber Acapella; no top coat.

Topped L'Oreal Brownie Points with Girly Bits What a Rush QD Top Coat on all fingers except accent before stamping.

Stamped using CND Gold Chrome using an image from Chez Floral 002.  I wish I had a warmer gold for stamping; this is OK but a more golden one would have been better I think.  Any suggestions?

Added a couple studs to accent for interest.



Topped all with Girly Bits What a Rush QD TC.



I typically have to add top coat to the studs to help them adhere but liked the matte look better on that finger, so topped with OPI matte to finish.



Please check out the other ladies awesome Day 3 autumn nails!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking!

P.S.  If you are into these Love, Angeline microglitters, there's a few on sale right now here!