Paw Prints

Hi everyone,
I decided my new canine addition was a perfect excuse to try out some paw print nails!

This design was a fun change from all the Fall colors I've been wearing and I got to experiment with a few plates I haven't yet used.

I only used three colors for this one - Sally Hansen Whirlwind White as a base, Wet n Wild Black Creme for the designs, and a red nail pen.

Once I started looking, I couldn't decide which designs to use, so I used a combination from several plates.

The thumb design is Bundle Monster BM 306.  The other paw prints from my DRK-A plate.  The pooch on my ring finger is from plate T28 (an eBay plate from Beautiful Scratchers).  The hearts are from a QA plate (the one with the Statue of Liberty on it!).

I didn't wear this one for long - i'ts kind of like having a comic book on your nails! - but it was definitely a fun departure from my usual designs.

Take care, Konaddicts!  I hope your holiday shopping is going well!

She's settling right in!

Designer Tips

Hello, everyone!

I hope all of my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I finally have put down the leftovers long enough to post my latest manicure!

I went for something relatively simple since holiday weeks can just be so busy.  This is a base of Orly French Manicure in Sheer Nude.  I freehanded the tips in Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used stamping plate QA24 for these cute "designer" tips.  It's hard to see the colors because of the cloudy weather, but I used Konad Special Polishes in Pastel Pink, Pastel Green, and Pastel Purple.

For an emphasis, I used a black nail pen to dot some lines on the nails of the thumb and ring finger.  I like the look and I got lots of compliments on this one!

I hope you are well!  I'm so thankful that I get to share my polish designs with you!

Bollywood Paisley

Hi, everyone!

I'm loving today's manicure!  It's a design based on a beautiful sari I saw on Facebook.  I couldn't afford this beauty, and goodness knows that  I wouldn't know what to do with it once it arrived (haha!), so I decided I would see if I could capture the look in polish.

Wow!  Isn's that absolutely stunning?  The model's vampy look cracks me up.

I started with a gradient of Sally Hansen Inst Dri Sea Breeze, Nail Savvy Electric, and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Blazing Blue.  I gave it a coat of glitter, a purple glitter in a clear base - Rimmel 60 Second Twisted Chic.

The paisley is BM 315 and I used China Glaze Hi Tek for the stamping.

We've had pretty cloudy days so it's hard to show the actual colors, but I managed to snap a photo in sunlight (I hadn't finished the clean up, but the colors are closer to how they look in real life).

Well, I have to confess that I'm not smirking like the model in the photo, but it's hard not to feel glamorous with this design!

Take care, Konaddicts!  I hope your'e enjoying our Thanksgiving lead-up!

Fade to Plaid

Hello, everyone!

We're having sweater weather here!  Brrr....   To go along with my winter sweaters, I created this Fall plaid nail design.  My gradients still aren't perfect...argh...but here's what I used for this one.

This is a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Petal Pusher.  I made a gradient with that lovely and strange caramel, L'Oreal The Perfect Trench.  This is stamped with plate QA24 (from eBay), a unique, plaid french manicure design that I've been dying to try.  I used Revlon Top Speed in Espresso to stamp over the gradient.

So...here's my gradient problem (or at least one of them!) - I can't find a good sponge!  I bought the Konad sponging set - which was really expensive to get a few foam sponges.  The sponges worked like a champ, though.  I find I do better when I use eye shadow applicators, maybe because of the small area.  I just haven't had a chance to make it back to Sally's to resupply.  

Also, I figured I should be able to do this really cheaply, so I'm currently using pieces from a replacement mop head (!).  It works, I just can't quite get the color on where I want it.

     Sigh...

          Any suggestions, polish lovers?

Fall Plaid

Hello, everyone!
Today's nails just scream "Thanksgiving".  The only things missing are the pilgrims!

I've been wanting to do a plaid design in Fall colors.  I experimented for a while and came up with this design.  This a base of China Glaze Life Preserver, stamped with a pearly brown from Nail Savvy.  I used that classic Konad plate, M60, for the plaid.

The plaid was pretty, but I wanted to add some kind of accent, so I chose the lovely Fall leaf on Red Angel plate RA-121 and China Glaze Passion.  As has been true with the other plates, the image is etched a little too deeply, but it was usable.  My leaf came out better when I lightly stamped it on.  If I applied too much pressure  - splat!

Overall, I like the result.  Every time I notice my nails, I immediately think of turkey and cranberry sauce!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Are you as ready for Thanksgiving dinner as I am?

Cheeky Autumn Leaves

Hi, everyone!
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  Adjusting to the new canine member of the family has been fun and a little more work than I anticipated.  I've never had a small dog before, and she insists on being in the middle of whatever I'm doing.  She loves to be in my lap and it's hard to "remove" a small dog from your space with wet nails!

I did manage to put together this fall colored manicure.  This is a base of L'Oreal Walk on the Beach stamped with red, green, brown, and Kleancolor Metallic Yellow (I love this color!).  The metallic yellow softened the other colors and adds lots of sparkles.

I stamped the leaves using Cheeky Ch33 and Kleancolor Military Green.

Thanks for dropping by, Konaddicts!  I'm sure I'll be posting more as soon as I can figure out how to keep this little dog busy!

I'm not the only one having to adjust to this little whippersnapper!