Mint and Teal Sponging!

I did another sponged mani this past weekend and even remembered to bring Girly Bits Border Patrol to use this time which saved time in clean up!  Loving this colour combination; so much so that it's currently being used for some redecorating I've been busy with over the last few weeks!

I started with a base of two coats of Hard Candy Mint which was part of the 20th Anniversary collection.  I found the formula really thick and had to add drops of thinner to get a better consistency to apply.  Once I did it, application was a lot better.  I was a little on the fence how this mint would look with the teals I knew I'd be sponging with, but it did work out in the end as the colours complimented one another nicely (I think, anyway lol)

After applying Girly Bits Border Patrol, did gradient sponging using Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight and Essie Make Some Noise.  This was my second time using Girly Bits Border Patrol**; it is a latex based barrier. I've had way better removal with it versus other products I've tried which came off in bits and pieces versus one solid piece.  What I really like too is that it comes in a bottle with a brush which is good for application versus a sponge.  My application still wasn't the best and I got too close to the cuticle a couple times, so hopefully, will get the hang of applying it a little better.  I've heard that some of these latex based barrier products have an odour; the first time I used it, I didn't notice any odour at all; the second time being this occurrence, there was a faint whiff of odour when I first opened the bottle but it was minor, cleared almost immediately and I noticed nothing else even when I was applying it.  Now that I know I can apply it OK (as I've used a few other products but they came off in little pieces and took way longer to remove versus using nothing at all and having to do cleanup with brush and acetone), I want to buy a few bottles to have but wonder if it has a shelf life.  Like a time frame that it might go bad to speak like clump or something.  Anyone know?  I like to stock up on items and order all at once (mainly to save on shipping) but don't want to end up throwing out product. I just don't know enough about latex barrier products and haven't seen any mention of it any where.  Enquiring minds want to know!

After latex removal and some clean up; pix taken in the shade.  I dinged the tip of the ring finger when I was going removal but just sponged a little bit more at the tips to cover; it's slightly darker than he rest of the nails as a result and you can see the ding a little in this pix.  

Added KBShimmer Clearly on Top before stamping.

Stamped using Chez rectangles A001 using Funky Fingers Gesso.

 Chez rectangles A001.  This plate is the prototype plate but the image I stamped with is on the plate being offered for sale.

Finished with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  

Shade.  I really liked that the golden sparkle in Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight showed up so well considering it was sponged on.



I hope everyone is having a better week then I am!  It's like the full moon on the weekend made everyone cray-cray!  The only good thing so far about the week is the fun I've been having with decorating....but even it isn't going the best.  Why can't everything you want just be at one store so you don't have to run around to 1865656790 stores looking for things?  It was good exercise anyway lol!

**purchased by me

Shimmer Sarah

Here's a mani I did a few days ago using a gorgeous polish I received from Shimmer Polish for review, using one of the larger MoYou images.  As I mentioned in a prior post, there are some of the MoYou images that are too far too large for my nails...I think almost everyone's nails except one or two ladies that I'm familiar with from the blogesphere and/or FB or online groups! Here's what I did to make the image work!  

Started with a base of two coats of OPI Taylor Blue, no topcoat.  

For layering, chose Shimmer Sarah.  Here's a close up of this beauty!



This is one coat of Shimmer Sarah over OPI Taylor Blue. Shimmer Sarah has a mix of blue, green, and purple glitter (and looks like a little gold too!); application was easy and there was no having to dab here and there to get good coverage.  I really like how the super teal fine micro glitter and the contrast of the purple glitter pops on the base of OPI Taylor, even though it is a complimentary teal creme base. Absolutely stunning glitter polish!



This pix is with a layer of topcoat.





When I was looking for a stamping plate to use, the first thing I thought of when I seen this combination was water or some type of aquatic nails.  But when I was looking through my plates, the salamander image from MoYou Tourist 09 caught my eye and I decided to give it a try instead.  The problem was stamping the super size image on my tiny nails, which are pretty curvy when they are long too.  Stamped using Konad white special polish using MoYou Tourist 09 on all nails except pinky, which is MoYou Explorer 06.



A closer look at MoYou Tourist 9.







Decided to add a few random dots using Konad orange pearl special polish which I thought would be a great contrast to the teal base.  Once I added the dots, I also thought that a glitter with orange in it too would be a fantastic layering option on top of Shimmer Sarah another day!



Added topcoat to finish.



I love how the shimmer from Shimmer Sarah is evident underneath the stamping design.



This pix, the images are lined up a little better but the focus isn't as sharp for some reason.



Shimmer Polishes are available via the Shimmer etsy store here.  They retail for $12USD and international shipping is available.

Thanks for looking!

**polish provided for review.  Please refer to my disclosure policy for further information.

Edited to correct plate name!

New (to me anyway!) NYX Bottles

It's hard to believe that I closed my weekend place almost a month ago already...I miss it already! The very last weekend I was there, I went without the family, leaving me with a bit of free time on my hands. I remembered a post from a fellow GTA gal, nailxchange, about possibly finding the elf concealer brush (used by some gals in their polish cleanup) at Giant Tiger. I drove to both the Giant Tiger locations in Peterborough and Lindsay to see if I could track one down. (In hindsight, I'm sure this was not an economical thing to do seeing how I probably spent $25 in gas looking for a $2 cleanup tool....but I did.) Anyway, it was all for naught as I didn't find the brush at either location. But when I was driving through Lindsay, I seen a Rexall on the main drag and thought I'd see if they have anything new. I checked out all the polish displays and came across the new style of bottles in the NYX display. While I had seen these on some etailer sites, it was the first time I seen them in real life.



I picked up two colours, NYX Aqua and NYX Be Jeweled; this is the mani I came up with.

Started with one coat of NYX Aqua. Yes, one coat!





Added one coat of NYX Be Jeweled about halfway or so on my nails.





Lastly, added NYX Gold Sparkle on tips. (This is the old style bottle; I've had it for a while.)



Stamped using Black Konad polish using XL plate E.



Lastly, added some of those really tiny balls in the centres of the flowers. I bought a set with a bunch of colours from ebay a while back, super cheap.



This was the first time I've used them and they were a little tricky coaxing onto the nail as they are so tiny...and as small as they are, I found they actually stick out and get caught on clothes and towels even with a topcoat. They stick out and get caught on stuff more than rhinestones, which is pretty annoying.



Topped with coat of SV.



I did this mani on October 21st in between Halloween manis. I'm only pointing this out as you may notice that my last post, my nails aren't this long. I've actually filed them down twice since October 21st as they are just too unmanageable for me at the length posted here. The Day of the Dead mani was after filing them once about a week before then and I cut them down again last night because they seem to be growing awkward...or I filed them funny the last time, not sure! Anyway, they are now even shorter today than as in the Day of the Dead which I did November 1st. So you may see a bunch of mani's with nails at different lengths over the next little while as I post the mani's that haven't been posted yet....so you'll know why! (I'm not even sure if anyone cares about this or even notices as I can't imagine that anyone is checking out my nails that carefully, but just thought I'd explain anyway!)

Have a great weekend!