Saturday, April 30, 2011

Trying Out the Bundle Monster Plates

The new Bundle Monster plates arrived this week ((yeah!!!!)) and I spent a bit of time playing with them last night. I knew my next mani was going to be using them; didn't know for sure which image....but knew I did want to use them. Then I spent a bit of time this morning catching up on blog reader; seen some other postings in the blogesphere with the new plates and *tried* to pick out a plate that hadn't been posted so that anyone looking for what they looked like had a new one to see. The one I decided to use was BM205.



Stamping polish is Konad special white and then used each of the polishes on the other for dots with dotting tool.


For the base polishes, I decided upon a couple from the new OPI Pirates of the Carribean collex....Planks A Lot, the purple, and Sparrow Me The Drama, the pink. Here they are before stamping.


I'm sure if you have the BM plates, you've been trying them out too....its always so exciting getting new plates! and if you ordered them...hopefully they will be on your doorstep any time now so you can start having fun with them! If you haven't ordered them, you'll be pleased to know that they stamp well, clean crisp images, the blue plastic film is a breeze to remove, and overall, you can't beat the price as they are less than $1 a plate! They are truly a great place to start if you have never stamped before as you really can't beat the price!


Hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for looking!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Royal Wedding Inspired Mani...

With the Royal Wedding just hours away now, I decided to do a Royal Wedding mani cause I'm a theme kinda nail gal!




Here's what I came up with.








Used a base of China Glaze White out and to add a little bit more sparkly pizazz, one coat of Arezia #645, which is lightly mango scented.

Stamped using Konad special polishes in red, black, green and violet pearl, CND Gold Chrome and Nicole by OPI Positive Energy.

And because I had a few other images I couldn't fit on one hand, I decided to do my right ***warning*** messy cleanup and scraggly cuticles ahead!



Used fauxnad plates T04, T22, T46, BM08, BM09, C02, H17, P19, MW59, MW63, fauxnad C, fauxnad D and K06.



Here's the basecoat before stamping.





And just to share, the stamping image plate had three different brides and grooms on it; you can see the one I chose for the mani....which had something to do with this 'cause I was a little partial to the image...



Wayyyyy back when I got married, this was the theme of wedding invites, napkins, favour tags, wedding programs, etc etc.

I haven't decided if I'm going to get up early and watch the Royal Wedding...probably will as I still remember setting my alarm for the middle of the night when Charles and Diana got married all those years ago. I'm not a Royal watcher or fanatic or anything, but it is a historical event so I'm sure I'll be up...all bleary eyed, but up!

Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Some Random Images!

So I was going thru my stash last night trying to find some specific image plates for SarahLouise over at Spellbinding Nails...as I commented to her on her last mani that a car and ant plate exist....and as I was going thru them, I seen these images and thought they were cute and would go together, so decided to put them together for a mani.



Base is OPI on Collins Ave. Stamping polishes are Konad special white and black and Nicole by OPI Positive Energy. (As a side note, I got looking at the bottle the day I did my Earth Day mani on the weekend, and noticed it was about a quarter gone as its my go-to stamping silver. As I was holding it, I got to thinking, man, this the is the most I've ever used a polish.....I don't want to run out.....then dropped it! Thank goodness for carpeting or it would have broke but silver splatters on the carpet, my socks, walls, etc etc. I already went and bought a backup as I really like it for stamping and don't want to risk running out. I just thought how ironic is it that I'm thinking about it being all used up..and then drop it and polish pours out using even more!!)



Anyhoo, used Konad S9 and fauxnads m20, m57, m60 and p49. I think the little gal on the pinky is super cute...already have a mani planned again for future using her!

Here's OPI on Collins Ave by itself.



Thanks for looking!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter!

Here's my Easter morning mani!





China Glaze White Out as base; stamped with Konad special polishes in Yellow, Metallic Pink and Chic Blue.

Used IP's Konad S10 and fauxnads SdP B-04, BM19, T21, XL A and XL B.





If you're brave enough to view some really bad cuticles, I also did the same design on my right hand, but pastel stamping.



Used Konad special polishes in Pastel Pink and Pastel Yellow and Beautiful Scratchers Pastel Purple (or lilac...not sure of exact name).

And for something differently, added some nail glitter on the stamping. This is Konad glitter but I know there's lots of other brands on the market.



I've never used this before so don't know if I applied it right....just put on a layer of clear coat and dipped my finger in the container...it seems to me that this is a little thicker than I've seen...I'll have to watch some youtube tutorials before I try it again....I think the sugary look of the mani is appropriate considering the amount of chocolate and sweets I'll probably be eating Easter morn!



I hope you have a fantastic Easter...and had a great weekend!

Thanks for looking!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Earth Day Mani...

Better late than never...I guess! I had every intention of posting this yesterday, but got busy with the family and was busy again today getting ready for the Easter Bunny visit in the morning and just never had a chance before now!






Stamping polish was Nicole by OPI Positive Energy, using Konad M79 and fauxnads A02, m27, T46, SdP A-11 and SdP A-17.



In the spirit of the day, decided to use the Nubar Going Green collex...used all but one of them. These aren't the best swatches as I was in a hurry.







Left to right starting at thumb: Nubar Reclaim, Earth, Forest, Conserve, and Greener. Seriously, if you love holos, you need to get Reclaim in your collex! I mean...a green holo! I can't believe I haven't swatched it before now! These pix were taken in artificial light but the holo was very obvious in the sun when I was out and about town today.

Thanks for looking!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday Mani....

Just a very quick post of a quick Good Friday mani I came up with....still going to try to do a Earth Day post if I don't run out of time!





Base is two coats of Nubar Cloud White. Stamping polishes are Konad special/princess polishes in yellow, deep jungle, apple green, and black. Using IP's hbnails 07, p16, H10, T02 and Konad S3.


Thanks for looking!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

An Unconventional Easter Mani.....

Here's another Easter mani....



Not very conventional is it? LOL!

Zoya Dovima (matte) stamped with an assortment of China Glaze polishes (Admire, Cherish, Harmony, Adore, Metallic Muse, Emotion) and CND Gold Chrome.





IP's Konad S10 and fauxnad T21. Just before I headed to bed, put on a coat of clear coat.


I can't decide if I like it more with topcoat or not...or even if I like it! I guess its not what I'm used to seeing but wanted to do something different!






And here's Dovima (matte) before stamping.








I also wanted to say a big "Thank You" to anyone who gave a thumbs up for my entry in the recent Bundle Monster Giveaway; the results were announced yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the lucky 25 entrants with the most 'likes' but wanted to thank anyone who did 'like' my entry and **Congrats** to you if you were one of the winners! Any vote received was very much appreciated and I thank you for your support! I was going to put a link to the winners so you could check them out if you haven't seen them already; but I checked Bundle Monsters Facebook page today and it seems like they are upgrading the site or something, but please take a few minutes to check out the winning entries if you have a chance! I'll be placing my order for these plates on April 25th and hopefully they won't take too long to arrive. My only consolation to not winning is that the new plates are suppose to be around $21 for a set of 25 which is a great deal! Free would have been fantastic...but I don't mind having to pay when the price is amazing! I'm especially happy that they have included some holiday images as I'm all for holiday manis! Thank you again!



Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Easter Bunny Skittles!

This is a spin on my last mani...instead of skittle fingers, I did skittle bunnies!






It started with just a couple bunnies, but you know...they quickly multiplied! Here's base of two coats of Nubar Cloud White, topped with one coat of Nubar Opulent Pearl as I wanted a hint of pastel in the background.






Used fauxnad IP SdP B-05 and Konad special/princess polishes in yellow, apple green, metallic pink, chic blue, pastel blue and sky pearl.



Last but not least, a final plea for a thumb up for my mani in the Bundle Monster giveaway, voting which ends tomorrow.


You can give my mani a thumbs up here.... and please take a few minutes to also give a thumbs to any other mani you may be liking as this is the spirit of the giveaway. Voting ends tomorrow...and good luck to all!



Thanks for looking!



Monday, April 18, 2011

Easter Skittles!

After a bit of indecisiveness, I finally decided on an Easter mani. Unfortunately, my stamping went south and I was too tired and it was too late to redo, so unfortunately it turned out all crooked looking! Just another excuse to do my nails again tonight!


Used Konad black special polish; fauxnad IP's T21, HB38 and SdP B-05.




Here's skittles before stamping.




Starting at thumb, left to right: Generation Baby Blue, Orly Lemonade, Orly Cashmere Cardigan, Orly Polo Princess and Orly Gumdrop.

Are you planning on an Easter mani? I've certainly seen some very cool Easter mani's out there in the blogesphere! It always amazes me what creative talent so many of you have!!


Thanks for looking!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Anna Sui #322

I really wanted to do an Easter mani 'cause its right around this time of year. But for some reason, I just couldn't get into what polish to pick, what plate to use, what stamping polish to use blah blah blah. So did this instead. Anna Sui #322.


In the right light, you can see the cool purple secret shimmer and of course, the smell. Oh, the glorious smell of roses. The only other time I had used an Anna Sui polish, I did one nail and it was faint, but whew, when it was on all five nails, the scent was really obvious. This morning, its not so strong, which does make it a little more tolerable.


Used IP A1 as a french tip, then stamped the bottom portion with Konad M69 using Konad black special polish.



Here's mani in progress....I did think about leaving it like this but ultimately decided to stamp it more.


Here's Anna Sui #322 by itself. I was really glad to see that this wasn't the same brush as on the Anna Sui glitter I used a while back, because the application would have been a nightmare! But the polish had a regular brush so, whew!

I picked up a few more of these Anna Sui polishes as it was 20x the points at Shoppers Drug Mart this weekend...I should have enough Optimum points to get the new Deborah Lippmann polishes at Murale...and I'm also hoping they have the new Chanel's in stock too...nothing better than free polishes using points! I sure hope SDM gets more of these Anna Sui's in...the gal at the beauty counter said that the same colours have been in the display for a while..so here's to hoping!

Thanks for looking!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Here Comes the Sun!

Here's the sun!



This is two coats of OPI Guy Meets Galveston, topped with one coat of Ozotic Pro 621, stamped with CND Gold Chrome, fauxnad IP T03.



A few pix in different lighting in different stages of the mani. The holo has so many different faces to it, plus it was difficult to capture the stamping in all lighting, so I apologize now for picture overload! This is artifical lighting with the Ozotic Pro on top; this pix you can see the gold shimmer peeking thru. You may notice that in some of the pix, the holo is not bright red as you may have seen on other images in the blogeshere. I only used one coat of the Ozotic Pro in my desperate attempt to conserve as I may never seen another red holo again and need to make this baby last!





This Ozotic polish came direct from Australia...a very long awaited and much anticipated swap! The picture below, again artifical light, you can see blue shimmer undertones better.



A couple more pix of with the stamping.







Overcast conditions to show stamping...but sparkles in the holo are still evident. (btw, I'm holding OPI Coral Reef, not the Ozotic Pro...just to be what was handy when I took pix!)



Here's two coats of OPI Guy Meets Galveston. A jelly again, but better coverage than the New York Summers I've been wearing recently. Still can see a little bit of VLN but nothing too serious and I knew I was topping it with the holo so left at two coats.



I'm so happy today is sunny (cold, but sunny!) cause all I can do is stare at my nails! I love holo's! I hope you're seeing some sun where you are! I'm certainly going to enjoy it today even though its chilly, as its calling for rain all weekend!



Have a good one and thanks for looking!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Yep, I Entered the BM Contest...

Did you?

I'm beyond excited that Bundle Monster is coming out with new image plates...you've probably seen the posts around the blogesphere that new plates will be available at the end of the month. The sneak peaks that Bundle Monster has been releasing sure looks like some great images will be available...plus with larger designs for those with longer or larger nails.

Here's the pix I entered, using IP BM 20.



To give my entry a thumbs up, please click here!

While I'd be especially happy and appreciative if you'd like my entry and give me a thumbs up, please feel free to like your favourites!! That's what the contest is all about!!

Another pix taken this afternoon in the brief sun we had. Used GOSH Holographic for stamping. First time ever cracking this baby open!! Will deninately have to use this for a mani soon!



This pix shows the stamping a little better in the overcast light.



Last but not least, here's the base I used, New York Summer Hot Purple by itself...this is one serious purple jelly! Unfortunately, it does photograph on the navy blue side, but purple it is. This is four (!!) coats.



Thanks in advance and good luck if you entered in the contest too! It sure was generous of Bundle Monster to have 25 sets of these for the contest!

Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

This Mani Has Gone to the Dogs!

This is probably wayyyy too cutsie for a gal my age, but oh, well!! I'm way past worrying about what others think!
Another mani using Shirley's plates.** This is two coats of Nubar Cloud White. I picked this polish up as I use white fairly frequently as a base and was testing for coverage as whites are prone to streaks and can be thin but didn't experience any problems. Then stamped using fauxnad IP's SdP B-18, SdP B08, HB48 and P59. Stamping polish is Konad special red and black. I wish my stamping skills for tips were better and the tips were straighter, but anyone who does tip stamping knows how hard it is. I rarely do tips for this reason....I did a couple practise runs on my last mani before I took it off and they turned out wayyyy better than these! Oh well, just another reason to redo tonight! When I finished stamping, I did a quick silver stripper for some interest and added a few dots here and there!
And here's Nubar Cloud White by itself. Not a stark white, but does the job and had good coverage in two coats.



I can't seem to help myself using these plates again as they really have some of the coolest designs on them! It is unfortunate that there are some problems with a few images as I did post in the comments the last time I used them. But I still think that even with the few images that don't stamp well (and I'm hoping to get good replacement plates as they are designs that I really like), they are still well worth it. My humble opinion anyway.....to be fair, I've ordered plates from everywhere (let's just say I have a nail plate hoarding disorder!!) and have received poor images here and there on one plate or another, with the exception of Konad plates, which always seem to have excellent stamp quality. I guess if it was easy to do, everyone would have a set of plates designed! I'm sure Shirley is working with whomever it was that did the engraving to work these bugs out and look forward to her new release as it looks like she's going to be coming out with new big plates too! By the look of it, there's a repeat of some of the designs on her A and B series plates. I know I'm looking forward to the release of the new plates! I know some fellow bloggers have said they had difficulty to getting Shirley's images to transfer, but I had no issues with either one of these images at all. I had more problems getting the dog paw and bone to transfer solid! As I mentioned before, any of the images that were faintly etched, like the stars in my prior My Little Pony mani or this doggy stamp, transfer well. Its only the deeper grooved plates that were issue. I haven't stamped 100% of the 28 plates I bought, but probably 80% and only had an issue with a few.

Thanks for looking!

**Please note that I paid the invoiced amount in full for my plates. I do not endorse nor promote this website/etailer other than I am passing on the info of where I got them to those who may wish to know. I have no affiliation with any company and received no compensation for promotion of these products, nor am I promoting them...just letting fellow bloggers where they may be obtained should they be interested!