31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 17: Glitter

Today's challenge is "glitter"!  I haven't done much stamping over glitters, so this was (another!) new challenge.

I started with Kleancolor Wicked Plum and topped it with two coats of Revlon Scandalous.  The hearts and diagonal lines are a design from BM 317.  I used Pure Ice Outrageous - that lovely pink chrome - for the stamping.  


Today's post is short and sweet - speaking of sweet, these nails remind me of grape jelly!


PS: Hope you all like the blog's new look.  I ran across another site - about cemeteries! - that used the same template I did.  I was ready for a change, but the headstones were the final push to try something new!


See you next time for "half moon nails" - this will be another first for me!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 16: Tribal Nails

Hi all!
Here's my shot at tribal nails.  I went for a bright "tribal" look, rather than one of neutrals.  I just picked out patterns as I went along.  Some of my stamping wasn't clean; I think those triangles took a while to get the hang of.

Here's what I used:
Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening
Cheeky CH-13 and Pure Ice Siren for triangles
BM-202 and Kleancolor Grass Green for edging
Tips in Insa Dri Whirlwind White
Stamped with Cheeky CH-22 and Insta Dri In-A-Blink Blue

It was fun to try something so bright and so different!  The next challenge should be fun - it's glitter!

Thanks for reading!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 26: Inspired by a Pattern

Today, I was supposed to have "tribal" nails.  I turned to Bollywood - as I always do! - for inspiration.  I chose a movie filmed in Rajasthan, a part of India known for its beautiful folk art and patterns.  Instead of picking a nice tribal pattern, I was enthralled (as I always am) with this beautiful wedding costume that our heroine wears - that's her, peeking out from under her bridal veil.

Rani Mukherjee in the film Paheli

Her beautiful saree inspired this mani.

This is a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Rapid Red stamped with the lovely palm design on Konad M83.  I useed Sally Hansen Insta Dri Snappy Sorbet for the stamp.   I freehanded the tips with Snappy Sorbet.  My other golds or bronzes didn't stamp well over this combination, so I pulled out my "heavy".  I used the Sally Hansen Gold Chrome Nail Pen and BM 11 to stamp the accents.

Wow!  I love this!  It's simple and surprisingly quick (especially using the fast dry polishes).  Every time I look down, I want to start singing songs from the movie!

If I ever take this off (haha), another attempt at "tribal" nails is next!

See you soon (at least when this wears off!), Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 15: Delicate Print

Hello, all!  Today's challenge was "delicate nails".  I went with a fairly simple two color combination.  The base is China Glaze Kinetic Candy.  For stamping, I used a chrome blue, Pure Ice Pussy Cat.  The plate is another great design from the third Bundle Monster set - BM 314.  

I love how this turned out!  The blue is one of my favorites and the stamping in chrome adds an elegant touch to the mani.  

Thanks for reading.  The next challenge is "tribal" nails - see you then!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 14: Flowers

Thank you to Sammy a Nailasaurus for the awesome gradient picture tutorial!  With her help, my gradient has gotten much, much better!

I also just received my the new Bundle Monster set in the mail - what a great day!  I decided to combine a new effort at gradient nails with my new Bundle Monster plates to come up with a "flowers" manicure for this day of the challenge.

I started with a base of Kleancolor Pastel Teal.  I should have tried my gradient with only two colors, but I didn't feel like the green was dark enough, so I made a gradient with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime and a tiny bit of Kleancolor Grass Green.  It made the gradient a little splotchy - especially since I'm still working on this technique - but it did darken up the green a bit.

I stamped with Konad Special Polish in white using a plate from the newest Bundle Monster set - BM314.  They've got some interesting designs that I can't wait to play around with!  At their website, you can see closeups of the new set.  

To add a little contrast, I dotted the flower centers using Kleancolor Metallic Green and Metallic Aqua.

I hope you're having a great weekend, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by; see you next time for "tribal" nails...

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print

Sooo....my "animal print" mani is a bit of a bust.  I tried to come up with a cool looking rattlesnake but couldn't quite get it right.  I polished, stamped, dried...and then took it all off. :(

By then, it was late, my polishes were strewn everywhere and I still didn't have an "animal print" mani.  I decided I would opt for cows - they're only two colors and seem simple enough.

Well...it turned out okay, but it's not one of my favorites.  It's a very simple base of Sally Hansen Whirlwind White stamped with Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used fauxnad M61 for the spots and fauxnad S10  for the little cow...or is that a giraffe?

I'm not happy with this one, but I figured I would go ahead and share and move on to the next challenge - flowers.

Thank you so much to all of you who read and take the time to comment.  You all make my day!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 12: Stripes

Hello, everyone!  I wanted to (finally!) post pictures of my stripes nails.

I started this mani with a base of Pure Ice Love - a warm pink.  I stamped the stripes using Cheeky plate CH-10 and Konad Special polish in White.  They're the perfect stripe - not too thin, but also not too crowded.

I decided I would try to spice up my stripes a bit. I've always liked the combination of pink, white, and black so I decided I would give that a try.  I stamped the bows using plate QA-24 - a new (of course from eBay!) plate that just came in the mail.  I used that super cute kitty on Konad M83 for the accent nail.  I used Wet N Wild in Black Creme as the stamping polish.

This has been a fun one to wear but now it's off to work on the next one - animal print!  See you next time, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 11: Polka Dots

It's polka dot day!  I wanted to do something a little different, so I decided to put polka dots on top of my polka dots!

This is Revlon Top Speed Stormy stamped with Revlon Top Speed Espresso using the big dots on Red Angel plate RA-103.  I pulled out my dotting tool and dotted on Kleancolor Green Grass (the darker green) and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime.

See you tomorrow for "stripes"!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 10: Gradient Nails

For my "gradient nails", I decided to go with one of the looks that initially drew me to try Konad.  I started with a base of Bella Il Fiore Baby Doll - a sheer french base.  I decided to start sponging with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink; then I went with a medium pink, Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink; and finished the darker pink, Kleancolor Barbie Pink. I slapped on some topcoat and then stamped the flourish using Red Angel RA-116 and Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.  I didn't have any actual pearly accents, so I used Love My Nails Angel, the pearly white, and a dotting tool to add the dots.

I love the look of sponging but I never feel like I have it totally down...  Today's mani was a good chance to get out the sponges and to give it a try!   BTW:  All you polish queens, what sponges do you think are the best to use?

The next challenge is polka dot nails!  See you then!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 9: Rainbow Nails

Hello, everyone!
Today's challenge is "rainbow".  I didn't have a lot of time today, so I chose a mani that I had always been wanting to try - Miss80Million's Rainbow Houndstooth.  I remember watching this tutorial years ago, before I bought my first Konad set.

I used Konad M63, Sally Hansen Insta Dri Fast Lane Fuchsia, Lickety Split Lime, Brisk Blue, Urgent Orchid.  The index finger is Sinful Pull Over.

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 8: Metallic Nails

Metallic nails...hmmm...  What does that mean, exactly?  I use chromes and metallics a lot when stamping so I decided to go for a mani that reminded me of sheet metal.  I tried a bunch of different things until I finally found something close to what I had in mind.

The base is Love My Nails Silver Bullet, a silver chrome.  I used (another!) pattern from my XL Image Plate B which seemed to perfectly fit the bill.  I stamped over the silver with a Pure Ice Kiss Me Here, a gray chrome.  It's the exact combination I used before in my Silver and Gray mani, except in reverse order.

I pulled out my striping polish that I bought at Sally's a million years back to add the yellow stripe.  I used my cheapie Nail Star nail pens to add the dots on my "caution tape".  Theoretically, I could have used a combo of tape and stamping to get something that more resembled an actual caution tape, but the combination of drying time and trial and (lots of) error time made me go for the simpler approach.

I had so much fun trying to put this together!  It really got my creativity flowing and I finished with a mani I liked and bunches of polish strewn all over like there had been a nail polish tornado.

Overall, it was a fun stamping night!

Next up, "rainbow nails".

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 7: Black and White Nails

Hello, everyone!
Today's challenge is black and white, a bold combination that I don't use very often.  For this mani, I used Wet n Wild Black Creme as a base.  I stamped with Konad Special Polish in White and used one of the designs from my XL Image Plate B (which has been getting a lot of use since I started this challenge!).

I like it!  This has been another challenge that has forced me out of my (rather pastel) comfort zone!

Thanks for dropping by!  See you tomorrow for "metallic nails".

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 6: Violet Nails

Guest model - my left hand!

Well...these were supposed to be my purple nails.  It's Kleancolor Metallic Fuschia - a beautiful grape.  When I added Pure Ice Pussy Cat and stamping with Konad M64, I thought I had a winner.

Until the topcoat.

Oh, yes, until the topcoat.

Oh well...at least there was my left "non blog hand" so I could show the look I was going for!  Memo to me - if I try this again, add topcoat between the base and the chrome stamp.

The nice thing about this nail challenge is that no mani lasts too long...see you tomorrow for black and white nails!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 5: Blue Nails

Hello!  Woo hoo - I'm getting to wear my absolute favorite nail polish today!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away!  I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Whirlwind White using Konad M60.  I used rhinestones for the flower centers.

I love this blue!  Stamped with white or with silver, it always looks awesome.  It's a gorgeous color when worn on its own.  Blue Me Away!, however, is not for the faint of heart.  Expect to have a little staining when you remove the polish.

See you tomorrow for purple nails!  Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 4: Green Nails

Hello, all!  Here's my green mani for Day 4.  I wasn't really feeling very green, so I went for a really simple look.  I started with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jade Jump and stamped with plate A33 in Kleancolor Military Green.

I can't wait until tomorrow's blue mani.  I'm going to wear my very favorite polish!  See you then, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 3: Yellow Nails

Yellow nails!  I haven't had yellow nails in a while, so this is a fun change.  I decided to stamp this one, too, but I decided to go with slight variation on the yellow.  Too bad I didn't notice that I didn't stamp the whole nail (look at that "blind spot" on the index finger!).  

The color is a lovely, soft yellow - Sinful Colors Unicorn.  The stamping polish is a pearly peach, Rimmel 60 Seconds Extreme Polish in Va Va Voom (a polish I recently used in my Citrus Sunburst mani).  The pattern is from Bundle Monster plate BM201.

I love this!  I don't know if it's the subtlety or the warmth of the yellow, but I really like it.  I guess I won't get to wear it long, since tomorrow's challenge calls for green nails!

See you next time, Konaddicts!  Have a very warm weekend!

~~~~

According to the Bundle Monster Facebook page, it looks like the new plate set will be released on June 20th!

The new set of Cheeky plates - which look awesome on the Cheeky Facebook page - should be out soon, too, although I didn't see a release date.

Save your dollars, polish friends!  It's going to be an exciting month!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 2: Orange Nails

Hello, all!  Well, today's nail challenge was orange so I polished my nails with Kleancolor Pastel Orange, one of the few oranges in my collection.  I couldn't resist stamping it, so I used an interesting full nail pattern from XL Image Plate B and Milani Metallic Mango to stamp those interesting "fish scales".  

Well, once you have the plates out, it's easy to take one more step, so I decided to add a flower from Cheeky plate CH12.  I stamped the flower with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Blue Blast and filled in the petals with a green nail pen.

Well - I've tried new patterns, polishes and plates already!  I'm hoping the rest of challenge keeps those creative juices flowing.

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 1: Red Nails

Hello, everyone.
It's been about six weeks since we lost my father to colon cancer.  Dad was diagnosed three years ago, and our family had many ups and downs over the past several years.  We knew the prognosis wasn't good, but I don't think you're ever really prepared to say goodbye to someone you love so much.

My Dad, my niece and me (that's me on the left)

Parent, advisor, staunch supporter, and friend, my dad was a huge part of my life.  Without him, the world is a much less colorful place.  Lately, I've been a bit short on motivation (for most things) and on inspiration.

So...

I decided I would start a nail challenge to give me some incentive to get polishing again, to narrow the focus to someone manageable, and to give me something fun to think about.  I probably won't be able to post every day, but I figure that getting back to doing some of the things I like is a step in the right direction.

I chose the simplest of the nail challenges, the one where the first week is primarily polish only, to get myself back in the groove.  I thought, "Red nails?  I can manage that!".  So here's my post for the first day of this challenge.

I chose Heaven Waikiki Sunset, a surprisingly pretty polish I noticed at the grocery store (on sale for about $2)!  It's a magenta glitter and is slightly matte without topcoat.  I also used this polish to color in one of my ladybug manis.

Here's the nail challenge, in case you're not familiar with it.  It's been floating around for a while out there although I'm not sure who initially created it.

Well - I made it through Day 1 - hooray!

Thanks for reading, polish friends!  I'll try to post the next challenge soon.

Gone green!

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share a design "from manicures past".  This is an easy two color mani using a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Sea Breeze.  The plate is A16.

It's a simple and easy combo, but I received lots of compliments on this one!  I love the A-series plates (I get mine from eBay).  I don't have all of them, but some of the designs are really fun to try out!  

I hope you're having a great week, Konaddicts!

Bright Dots

Hello, everyone!  Today, I have an easy and vibrant mani using Cheeky plate CH10.  I started with twocoats of coats of Pure Ice Free Fall.  I used a final coat of Pure Ice Tease, a magenta with a blue shimmer.

I stamped the dots using Cheeky CH10 and Kleancolor Metallic Aqua.  The aqua looked more purple on the nails, but it worked!  Before picking CH10, I tried the dots on Konad M60.  I liked the Cheeky plate better for this mani.  The dots on the plate blend more at the bottom on the Cheeky plate and I liked that look better for these colors.

It's a simple look, but I love the sparkle!

Shine on, Konaddicts!