Newspaper Nails - First Try

Oh dear...that's a mess (not to blame maRyaa and her great tutorial).

And now for the remover... :)

Do any of you Konaddicts have tips for the newspaper transfer nails?  I sure could use them!  I'm feeling almost as perplexed as Dagwood looks on my thumb!

March Hello Kitty of the Month: Keroppi!

I chose Kero Kero Keroppi for this month's Hello Kitty Manicure.  Keroppi doesn't seem to be as popular as HK herself, but he sure is cute.

The plate is OB31.  The plate, itself, had some flaws - top center Kitty is missing a hand!  I was thrilled to find Keroppi on something and couldn't wait to use it (so I didn't want to take the time to send it back).

Here's what I used for this mani:

I started with a few coats of Kleancolor Melon Green (I love this color!).  I stamped Keroppi using OB31 and Milani Black Magic.  I didn't want him to be lonely without his lily pads, so I used a lily pad - like design on Red Angel RA-118 and Kleancolor Green Grass for his lily pads.  Then, I used my cheapie Nail Star pens to fill in Keroppi's shirt and eyes.  Lastly, I dotted Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink for his blushy cheeks.

Keep a spring in your step, Konaddicts!

Spring Kites

Well, Konaddicts, maybe I was a little too hasty admiring March's weather.  We have had a nasty cold streak and the wind has been better for provoking allergies than for flying kites.

The brief blush of warm, lovely weather put me in the mood to try out my Shany plate SH19.  I started with a base of Kleancolor Pastel blue.  I stamped clouds in Pure Ice Super Star, a less opaque white.  I used my fauxnad XL Plate B for the clouds.  Finally, I stamped the colored parts of the kites using different Kleancolor Metallics and stamped the kite tails separately using Milani Black Magic.

The clouds were my favorite part - although they're a little harder to see.

If I were to redo this one, I think I might have stuck with only one kite per nail - the colors were just so much fun that it was hard to stop once I got going!

Take care, and thanks for reading!  I'm wishing you sunshine and clear skies today!

Greta Silver Holo and Pink

I'm still entranced by this polish!  I decided to see how Make Up Store's Greta would look with a stamp.  I chose A-10 and Milani Hot Orchid for the dots and dashes.  I used a top coat, which dulled the holo effect a little, but you can still see the color gleaming through!  The colors must have distracted me, though, because my stamping is bit wacky!

Sparkle and shine, Konaddicts!  (Can you tell I've been watching Toddlers & Tiaras?)

Swap of the Century: Makeup Store Greta

Wow!  I have made the swap of the century and I am in holographic heaven!  For a few bottles of polish, I swapped for Makeup Store Greta and the Aqua Fix base coat for holos.  These pictures are all in natural light.  For the full holo effect, I decided to skip the top coat.

It's beautiful!  I love it so much I could marry it!

No, really - I can't stop looking at my fingers!!

I'm even forcing other people to look at my fingers!

The sparkle is killing me!  Please, someone take my debit card before I call the Denver store (thank you, TraceFace Philes for the ordering info) and order the whole collection!

Ah yes, Konaddicts, this must be love!

I'll be stamping soon, I'm sure, so I'll show you how it comes out!  Thank you for letting me share a girly giggle with you!

Fish Fingers

I originally bought plate A-48 for the cute patchwork pattern on the left..

When the plate came, I remember looking really closely at one of the images, trying to figure out what it was.  Then I got it - it's a fish!  It's not a Nemo-like cute fish.  It isn't engaged in song with nearby starfish or adorable sea horses.  It's a fairly cold-blooded, realistic image of a fish you might find in a lake (or at your supermarket deli counter!), not to mention that the placement is a little strange and some of the head and tail are cropped (and what the heck are those swirly things?).

I thought  "Who thought this would be a good choice for an image plate?" and "Who on earth would put this weird looking, goggle-eyed fish on her nails?"

I had, of course, answered my own question.

So, for now, I have (weird) fish fingers!

Are there unusual patterns that you've been drawn to, Konaddicts?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I picked easy Bundle Monster shamrocks for this manicure.  The base is Sinful Happy Ending.  The shamrocks are from BM08 in Kleancolor Grass Green and Kleancolor Military Green.  I dotted a little gold glitter to add some sparkle.  Have a safe and fun St. Pat's day!

Very Pear!

Have you ever come across an image plate where you think "You and I are destined for each other?"  Well, that was my experience when I saw the little pears on Cheeky plate CH20.

It was love at first sight with this plate, but I had a hard time trying to figure out how I wanted to use it.  Too many pears didn't suit me.  When I stamped one pear, it looked lonely.  So, I decided to compromise.

I chose Sally Hansen Insta Dri Spring Green as a base and used Love My Nails in Metallic White for polka dots (using CH6).  Then, I stamped the pear with Konad Special Polish in White and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jumpin' Jade.


I am soo ready for fresh fruit and sunny days!  Be well, Konaddicts!

Simple Blue on Blue with Cheeky

Hello, everyone!  Today, I opted for a simple manicure.  I used Kleancolor Beach Blue as the base; it's a gel-like indigo blue.  I stamped with Pure Ice Pussy Cat, a light metallic blue, and use Cheeky plate CH-10.

Today, I'm living simply, Konaddicts!

Color Club Worth The Risque

Taken in Natural Light

Oooooh, sparkly!

I'm still learning about stamping over holographic polish.  I go back and forth with holos because I don't always like the look of holo polishes in artificial light and because I always use top coat and it seems to dull the holo effect.  At the same time, holos add depth, can be breathtaking in sunlight, and make a fun manicure to peek at periodically through the day.

Artificial Light - No Flash

There's an art to stamping over holos.  I'm not sure if it's the color combinations, the polishes themselves, or the pattern (or maybe all three!).  I'm not there yet, but it's fun to keep practicing.

For this mani, I used Color Club Worth The Risque.  I stamped with Kleancolor Metallic Sapphire and Kleancolor Wicked Plum.  I used a toothpick to marble the colors a little on the stamp before scraping.  The plate is A-22.

So...
I'm still experimenting - and fishing for good ideas - so let me hear 'em, Konaddicts!

Holo Pink

Hi everyone!
I've been dying to try stamping over a holographic base.  I've tried a couple of times and I feel like I never quite get the color combinations right.

I decided to give it another try.  I would love to have a bottle of Nfu.Oh holo polish but this polish is around $20 per bottle on eBay!  That's waaay outta my price range so I looked through my collection and dug out an old bottle of Sally Hansen Magical Nail Makeup in Magenta Magic and used that as a base.

I used Kleancolor Metallic Fuchsia and one of the patterns on XL Plate B for the stamping.  I don't think I have  it down yet, but I think the resulting mani is kind of interesting.

Artificial light with Flash

Artificial light without Flash 

Natural Light

I have to admit that I love the rainbow effect!

Are there affordable holos out there that you are using for stamping?

Crazy for Paisley!

Why is nail stamping so much fun?  Because you can have paisley nails!  I had a lot of fun creating this mani and even more fun wearing it!

Here are the details:

I used China Glaze Kinetic Candy as the base coat.  I stamped with Kleancolor Military Green, Revlon Top Speed in Espresso and Revlon Top Speed in Stormy.  I used a dotting tool to add the gold and silver dots as accents.

The image plate is Cheeky XL Image Plate I.  I had some initial reservations about the plate because I got it at an "introductory price" of only $11.  When I got it, it even seemed to have a little bend in it .

Well...I gave the plate a try and haven't had any problems at all!  I do love the paisley designs and I'm always on the hunt for a bargain (which can sometimes backfire!).

Just when I got ready to give myself a pat on the back for coming up with such a nice color combination (always the hardest part for me!), I noticed my wall hanging from India.

Ah...the beautiful colors of India - always an inspiration!

Is it Spring Yet?

Excuse the stray polish...these still need cleanup.

Alas...not quite.
Oh well; at least it's Spring on my nails!
This is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Urgent Orchid.  The flowers are from Cheeky plate CH16.  I used a dotting tool and Kleancolor Metallic Yellow for the flower centers.

Chin up, Konaddicts!  Spring isn't too far away!