Hello Kitty of the Month: Kitty on Pink

Oooookay....so I decided to try the same technique from my Kung Fu Panda nails to my Hello Kitty of the Month mani for July.  It turned out okay - my left hand came out better than my right - but it was a little more complicated than I expected.

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri In a Blink Pink.  I stamped the background swirls using Pure Ice Rumors, a dark rose, and XL stamping plate B.


I used image plate B87 to stamp kitty in white.  I got a tiny nail brush and filled in the outline using Konad Special polish in white.  I restamped kitty over the filled in outline using Milani Black Magic.  Kleancolor Metallic Yellow dotted on made up her nose and NYC Broadway Burgundy Frost filled in her bow.

And voila!

Some image plates are premade for stamping like this - you have separate images so that you can stamp the background and then stamp the "foreground" over it. I hope they come out with a HK stamp like this!  "Painting" in the background evenly and opaquely is a lot harder than stamping it.  On one finger, my positioning was off, then I tried to fix it, I accidentally made a zombie Hello Kitty...

Well - catch you later, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 25: Inspired by a Fashion

I had a hard time coming up with something that I could say was inspired by a fashion.  I decided to go with something inspired by the 50s.  I wanted VERY MUCH to make poodle skirts, but that dang poodle on BM04 was just too big.  

Since my poodles, didn't work, I opted for polka dot, since so many vintage dresses seem to sport them.

I started with my stand-by red, Pure Ice Siren.  I taped the bottoms with scotch tape and polished the top portion black.  I used the dots from BM 19 to stamp the polka dots over the tips in Konad Special polish in white.  

Lot of 50s dresses have a flower on the bodice, so I added a flower from Red Angel 109 as an accent and dotted the center with red.

I like it!  I don't usually like my nails to be so dark, but the red really livens it up!"

Cool it, Konaddicts, and I'll catch you later for "Inspired by a Pattern" nails!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 23: Inspired by a Movie

Hello, everyone!  I'm finally getting a chance to post my "Inspired by a Movie" nails.  It took me a while to decide what movie to choose.  Here's the mani I came up:

Can you guess the movie?
It's Kung Fu Panda!

This was a  fun one, and it was a perfect use of my new set of MASH and Bundle Monster plates!

I started my Kung Fu Panda nails with a base of Sinful Colors Pull Over stamped with the lines from BM 301 and Nail Savvy in brown (sorry - the label fell off!).

I stamped the panda outline in white using Pure Ice Super Star and Mash 30 as a guide.  I filled in that outline with white and stamped the panda again using Konad Special Polish in black.  My outlines weren't perfect - you an see on the thumb in the picture above - but this one is fun even considering the imperfections.

Take care, Konaddicts!  I'll see you soon for "Inspired by a Fashion" nails!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 22: Inspired by a Song

The song I chose as inspiration for this mani is the classic "Stormy Weather" with that enduring chorus "Stormy weather / Since my man and I ain't together / It's raining all the time".

Here it is, sung by the elegant and beautiful Lean Horne in 1943.

For my "weary weather" manicure, I used the holographic Color Club Worth the Risque as the base.  I stamped my rainy background using the diagonal stripes and dots on Konad M65 and Pure Ice Kiss Me Here.

The umbrellas are stamped with plate Konad M8 in Konad Special polish.  I filled in the umbrellas using nail pens.  I picked neon colors since the polish was a kind of gel that didn't obscure the umbrella outline.  I used the silver nail pen to add a few dots around the nails as bigger "raindrops".

Here's the mani in the sun.

I love the holo base!  It adds a little 3D feeling to the design!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Next on the list is "Inspired by a Movie" nails!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 21: Inspired by a Color

A no-stamping mani?  Oh yes, I haven't worn my nails without stamping in quite a while!  For this "Inspired by a Color" mani, I decided to keep it simple.

The color I chose is Kleancolor Metallic Black.  I LOVE this color!  It stamps beautifully as a slightly sparkly black and when worn alone, it reminds me of freshly laid asphalt.

So, for my "inspired by a color" mani, I decided to make little roads on my nails.  I started with Metallic Black as a base.  I added the stripe with a striping polish.  I wanted a little contrast and to define the "roads" a little, so I freehanded a "shoulder" in white.

I got lots of compliments on these nails!  I don't think people always realized they were supposed to be little (somewhat lonely!) roads, but I think color contrast catches people's eyes.

Catch you later, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge: Day 20 - Water Garble

You may not have noticed that I didn't post a water marble mani. Yes, as you may have guessed from the post title, my "water marble" was more a of "water garble".

I started with this mess:

And ended with this one:

Other than that beautiful middle finger, it doesn't look like the lovely designs in a cup of cappuccino (which is what I had in mind).  It mostly looks like a mess and one that is hard to clean up!

Water marbling is not for me.  I had a hard time getting my finger in the water "top-side" first to preserve the marble (and got blobs like the index finger).  Marbling also isn't very forgiving as it takes a lot of "set up" time  - base coat, polish base, finger taping - before that one magical shot at getting the marble design right.

I also think I needed different polishes.  I watched a few tutorials before starting and none of my polishes dropped in and spread out in the water like it did in the tutorials, even though I used room temperature filtered water in the cup.

After this little experiment, I have a new found respect for those nail artists that have marbling down!  I think I'll be sticking to stamping!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 19: Galaxies

How could I have forgotten to post my "Galaxy" nails?  Well, without further ado, here they are:

This is Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used the scraper to mix a little of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening (yellow) with Pure Ice Love (pink) to stamp my "vortex".  I used XL Plate B for the design.  I used Love My Nails Silver Bullet and BM05 to complete the design with the big silver star.

This design was different for me.  I don't always like having black nails but stamping the lighter colors over the black softens the black up some and made it, for me, a more wearable design.

Take care, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

Redo: Flower Gradient

Hello, everyone!  I decided to take a break from the nail challenge to take a another stab at a gradient mani. I started with two coats of Orly French Manicure Sheer Nude.  For the gradient, I used the same colors that I used in my last attempt - Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink, Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink, and Kleancolor Barbie Pink.  I finished with the flowers from Konad M60 in Konad Special polish in white.  The dot of the flower is Kleancolor Metallic Gold.

Oh my goodness!  It's sooo much prettier than my last try!  The Nailasaurus picture tutorial made all the difference!

Thanks for stopping by, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 24: Inspired by a Book

Fnally, I settled on a classic.  I chose Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire - the children's book about the leopard that could do tricks with his color-changing spots.  This was one of my absolute favorite books as a child.

This little mani didn't get much wear time.  I used a bunch of different colored and styled spots and stamped them to the complete the challenge.  I figured wearing this one to work would require too much explaining!

Take care, Konaddicts!  The next challenge is "Inspired by a Fashion".

July 4th Nail Fail

It's been a holiday week here in the US and I wanted to try some patriotic nails for the 4th of July.  Unfortunately, this turned into a "nail fail".

I love layering but I have a hard time getting it right.  Too much glitter?  Was my red too red?

Oh well...I headed straight for the remover.  There is one positive note: the stars on Cheeky CH5 are perfect!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 18: Half Moons

Hello, everyone! Today's challenge was "half moons", another new look for me!  I started with a base of Love My Nails Angel - a chrome kind of white.  I used french manicure stickers to section off the nail before polishing Kleancolor Metallic Red at the bottom.  I used plate A28 and Silver Bullet to stamp the little flower.

I loved this look!  I've used Kleancolor Metallic Red for stamping but I haven't worn it on its own.  It's a stunner!

"Galaxy" nails are next - see you then!

Blog Award!

The rules for this award are:

1. Post who gave you the award and link to it.

2. Tell 5 strange things about you (a little tag).

3. Give the award to 5 other blogs.

---

Thank you, Jane, at Konad Kolatra, for awarding me the "Your Blog Inspires Me" Award!  From "Batik Nails" to Furry Nails and the Dry Water Marble, Jane always has creative ideas and lovely designs.  I'm thrilled to get this award from her!

So, five strange things about me?  I don't think I'm that strange, but I'll give it a shot!

• As you may already know, I love Bollywood movies!
• I started my blog when my "nail friend" at work moved to another job.  I still wanted to be able to share nail stuff without forcing everyone else in my office to look at my nails!
• Polishing nails helps to keep me calm.  When my dad was sick, I took all of my polishes with me to be with him.  One or two bottles wouldn't do; I knew I would need reinforcements!  
• If you ask me for five things, you might only get four!  :)

There are so many great nail blogs out there, it's hard to know where to send this!

• I love to see what Jackie, at MeMa's Manis, is up to.  Her Which Way Wednesdays are my favorite posts since you get to see her design evolve.  I'm not great at layering - and Jackie is a pro - so watching her gives me new ideas.
• Erica, at Beauty and the Polish, is always up to something super cute (which is just my style).  She tries out indie polishes and glitters that are just adorable and points toward new brands and styles that I might not have tried on my own. 
• I'll pick two additional ones - Jane, at Nailside, and Maria at Konad Addict.  Tutorials and beautiful designs abound; these ladies have a well deserved huge following.  The things Jane can do with tape are amazing, and Maria's color choices can knock your socks off!

Thank you for reading!  Thank you, Jane, for the award!  Let's keep the inspiration flowing!