Mehndi Nails

This is another manicure inspired by Bollywood.  I started with a base of Orly French Manicure in Sheer Nude.

I stamped the tips using Konad Plate M19 and  Rimmel 60 Seconds Extreme Nail Polish in Torrid.  The flowers are from Konad Plate M8.

It could never replicate the beauty and intricacy of these henna patterns usually done in preparation for a wedding, but whenever I look at my fingertips, I feel like dancing and think "Point me toward the ladoos (sweets)!"  Have a festive day, Konaddicts!

Madhuri Dixit, Famous Bollywood Actress

Bollywood Peacock Nails

I love Bollywood!  I'm constantly awed by the colors, textures, and music of India in Bollywood movies.  Looking through my jewelry box, I was reminded of a particularly "filmi" pair of earrings I had purchased. I love the shapes and colors in this pair of earrings (a pairing that is pretty common in Bollywood costumes), so I decided to see if I could create the same look with polish.

The base coat is China Glaze For Audrey.  I stamped using China Glaze Hi-Tek and the peacock-like pattern on Chez Delaney XL Plate B.  I filled in some of the peacock design with a pin and used a nail pen to add a bit of glitter to the center of each pattern.

Hmm...I'm not sure how I feel about this design...the pattern is a little hard to see (and to photograph) in these colors.  I've got a few more Bollywood nail ideas, so stay tuned!

Here's a great song featuring my favorite actor!  I love all the costumes and colors!

More Metallic Experiments: Vertigo

Yowza, this is bright!
Kleancolor Metallic Pink stamped with Metallic Sapphire using Konad Plate S6.  I added a little gold glitter to center for contrast.  There's no need for espresso today, Konaddicts!  This mani is bound to keep me wired!

Autumn Leaves

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it's actually beginning to look like Fall outside.  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe au Lait as the base.  I used Kleancolor Holo Orange to add a little sparkle.  I stamped the leaves in various browns, reds, and greens with Fauxnad M20.

Here are closeups:

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Speaking of Thanksgiving...I'd better put down the nail polish and get to cooking!

Butterfly Nails

The pattern of Plate A03 reminds me of butterfly wings.  I took a look at some butterfly pictures and gave the coloring a shot.

I started with a base coat of gold, Milani Morning Sunshine.  I sponged a bit of Kleancolor Metallic Mango for the color gradations.  For the stamping, I used plate A03 and Kleancolor Metallic Black.  I used a pin with a little silver for the dots.

This mani makes me smile and reminds me of warm summer days.  Ahh.... :)

Classic Houndstooth

This is one of my very favorite manis; it's clean, simple, and sweet.  It's Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Whirlwind White stamped with Pure Ice Rumors using Konad plate M63 (a classic!).

Simple Teal Waves

So here is another experiment with Kleancolor metallics.  The base is Kleancolor Pastel Teal stamped with Kleancolor Metallic Aqua using BM 214.

I'm loving these Kleancolor metallics; they really sparkle (even with the smudge on my thumb)!

I'll let you know what else I come up with!  Happy stamping!

Asian Inspired Nails

For this Asian inspired manicure, I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Racin' Red for the base color.  Next, I stamped various Asian designs from Konad S6 and BM203 in China Glaze Hi-Tek.  Then, I stamped the dragons from H12 (usually sold with other GCOCL type plates) in Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Sea Breeze.  I'm thrilled at how well the green stood out on top of the red!  Finally, I added a bit of glitter to each dragon's eye with a pin (I used Rimmel 60 Seconds Vinyl Stars in Eccentricity).  It was a surprisingly quick mani and I love the result!

Here are the polishes I used.  BTW:  I love, love, love Insta-Dris for base and stamping coats.  As a base color, they dry in a snap and they stamp beautifully!

Here's a closeup of the result.

Happy stamping, fellow Konaddicts!

Extreme Makeover: Nail Polish Edition

Ahhh....that is much, much better!  Even Timmy the Sheep approves!

Just peachy!

So, my Kleancolor metallics have arrived!  They are beautiful colors!  I got a set of 8, but here's a shot of my favorites.  I bought my set on eBay where they were a little over a dollar per bottle (great value!).

L-R: Kleancolor Metallic Sapphire, Metallic Fuschia, Metallic Mango, Metallic Green

They're a little tough to use for stamping because they dry pretty quickly and have a chunky consistency.  They're just so pretty and sparkly, though, that it's worth the effort.

For this mani, I used Plate A24, Kleancolor Pastel Peach, and Kleancolor Metallic Mango.

Here's a pic of the stamp close up.  It's pretty fun, and it matches my current crochet project!

Although, to be fair, most things match my current crochet project!

Have a colorful week, Konaddicts! 

News Flash! New Konad Plates

Woo hoo!  It looks like Konad has released some new image plates: M84 and M85.  These pics are from their website.

I'm not yet ready to buy, but M84 looks like a "must have" for Valentine's Day. Hugs and kisses, fellow Konaddicts!

Silver on Gray with Chez Delaney

I finally bought a Chez Delaney XL plate!  I absolutely love all the full nail patterns.  The etching is deep and the patterns are really varied.  This was my cool look of silver on gray.  I had to move quickly to transfer the metallic polish from the stamper (but it was a true bargain at a little over $1 per bottle, so I'll gladly accept any extra hassle!).  

Base color: Pure Ice Kiss Me Here

Stamping color: Love My Nails Silver Bullet
Plate: Chez Delaney Plate B

If you haven't seen the Chez Delaney XL plates, you can see them/buy them at their website (in France!) here:  http://www.chez-delaney.com/Stamping-Nail-Art/en/XL-image-plates.  I didn't purchase mine from their website.  I waited until I found one on eBay for about $30.  Since there are 42 beautiful images on the plate, it turned out to be a great buy.  I can't wait to try out all the other patterns!

Light and Feathery French Manicure

To restore balance after all of the spooky nails in October, I've tried a flowery and feathery French Manicure using GCOCL plates.  

I started out with two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe Au Lait.  I cannot say how much I love this polish!  I searched long and hard to find a good base coat for French Manicures that fit my skin tone and had the right level of opacity.  After many tries across brands, I struck gold!   This is great polish!  One coat would probably have been enough to cover my nail line and I think I finally got the color right.  They have a number of color choices, so if you're looking for a good base polish for French Manicures, you should certainly take a look at them.

The design is from GCOCL plate A26.  One great thing about the GCOCL plates is that they usually feature mirror images of the designs so that you can easily get the same look on your right and left hands.

To complete the look, I added pink rhinestones for a dash of color. Presto!  Easy, quick, and very sweet!

Base color: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe Au Lait

Stamping color: Konad Special Polish in White
Plate: GCOCL A26