Corset Nails

Hello, everyone!  I decided I wanted to give the corset look a try.  I think I overestimated the steadiness of my hand because I had a couple of redos with this mani.  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe Au Lait is the base.  I used the design from Konad plate M16 for the sides.  The laces were made with a fauxnad plate B24 using Kleancolor Metallic Pink.  I thought they still looked a little naked so I added a rhinestone at the bottom.

I absolutely love the design of the laces with the bow.  For me, this one is a guaranteed smile.  Be sweet, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by!

Egypt Inspired Nails

When I was a girl, I loved to read about anceint Egypt.  I remember thinking, "When I'm a grown up, I'll have books about Egypt that I don't have to take back to library!"

When I saw an inexpensive, generic plate on eBay with the Eye of Horus (the accent design on my ring finger), I knew I had to have it.  This is my first design inspired by that plate.

What beautiful colors on this scarab from King Tut's tomb!

The base is China Glaze Mega Bite, a beautiful holographic gold.  I wanted to replicate the inlaid look of Egyptian jewelry with a stamp (I don't have a hand steady enough for actual painting), so I chose a pattern on BM 214.  I stamped using three colors: Sally Hansen Insta Dri In a Blink Blue, Revlon Top Speed Emerald, and Insta Dri Racin Red.  I stamped the Eye with Milani Black Magic and highlighted it with glitter.

As usual, my stamping isn't perfect and some of my colors were smeary.  Imperfection would not have worked for Queen Nefertiti, but it works just fine for me!

Thanks for reading and have a regal day, Konaddicts!

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!

Review: Plastic XL Image Templates

So, as a person on a budget, I was intrigued when I saw what appeared to be a image plate containing 200+ images on eBay for around $25.  Of course it seemed too good to be true, but I was willing to give it a try anyway. They usually look something like this:

Yes, there are a bunch of designs here, but what the ads don't tell you is that the image plates are plastic!  (Ah, yes, there's the catch).

So, do these plastic plates work?  I'll show you what I discovered:

In each of the pictures, the metal plate  (I have both Konad and MASH plates) is on the LEFT, the image on the RIGHT is from the plastic template.

Here are some of the full nail stamps:

In some cases, stamps from the plastic plate look okay.  In other cases, not so much.  The plastic isn't very deeply etched, so the images from the metal plates are more defined and bold.

Here are some samples of other stamps (again, the stamps on the left are from metal plates; the ones on the right are from the plastic template):

Again, some are okay; others not so great.  It's also worth noting -I'm not sure if you can tell here - that many of the "nail tip" type images from the plastic template are smaller than ones on the Konad/Mash plates.

Bottom Line?
All in all, it was worth the ~$25 I paid for it.  At least I got to experiment with the different designs and to decide which plates I wanted to invest in.  If you've got a specific image in mind that you're wanting to use, though, I would recommend that you buy the metal plate (since you won't know for sure whether you'll get a good impression with the plastic template).

So, buyer beware!  If you're buying an image plate on eBay (especially if it seems like an amazing deal!), be sure to ask whether it's metal or plastic!  It just helps to know what to expect.

Thanks for reading!