Peacock Feathers

Hello, everyone!

It's been a long time since I've posted, but I couldn't miss an opportunity to share these delightfully festive fingers with you!

This is a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jade Jump.  To add sparkle, I double stamped the peacock pattern, first with the shimmery Nicole Mer-Maid for Each Other and then with the crisp Kleancolor Military Green.  The feather pattern is from a plate simply labelled Jumbo Plate B.

I used a nail brush to fill in the eyes of each of the feathers.  The brown is the sparkly Revlon Copper Gleam.  I dotted on Insta Dri Brisk Blue and the lovely, rich indigo Insta Dri Quick Jeanius.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great weekend!

Fall Foliage

Hi everyone!
It's certainly feeling like Fall out there!  I decided to try a design in honor of this beautiful season.

I started with the rich gold of Revlon Hypnotize.  The leaf design is from Cisi & Sisi 03.  I tried several different greens for stamping and finally settled on Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jumpin' Jade.  Insta Dris just stamp so well, and I wanted a bold outline that I could fill in.

For the various leaf colors, I just riffled through polishes for my sheerest red, orange and green.  I couldn't find my top coat, so I used my top coat with spectra-flair, which turned out to be a great addition.

Hope your autumn is a colorful one, Konaddicts!  Thanks for dropping by!

Leafy Ladybugs

Hello, Konaddicts!

What a busy summer I'm having!  I was expecting to have lots of time for sipping lemonade and polishing nails, but such has not been the case.  Well, I am happy to have a manicure to share with you today.  It's ladybugs!  This is one of my favorite stamping images.

I used the beautiful Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Chartreuse Chase as my starting color.  To make my leafy background, I used Mash 61 and MyOnline Shop Bright Green Stamping Polish.  

This was light enough stamp right over so I used GCOCL plate K05 and Milani Black Magic to stamp the ladybugs.  I filled them in using a small nail brush and Wet n Wild Red Red, Bundle Monster Art Polish 12, and SH Insta Dri Man-go Team.

I really loved how this turned out!  It was so much fun to play with the ladybug colors, and it added a lot of variety to the mani.

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you're each having an awesome summer.  Also:  have you seen the new Sally Hansen Color Foil polishes?  There's a cool post about them on Adventures in Acetone.  The old SH chrome polishes stamped beautifully.  It looks like these might not work as well, but I'm still dying to pick up a few bottles!  Anyone else tried these?

Snowflake Sparkles

Hello, everyone!  We're about to say goodbye to 2013!  I hope it's been a great year for you, and I pray that you have an even better 2014!

I've been enjoying my holidays so much that I forgot to post this Christmas mani.  I also immediately ordered some K.B. Shimmer polishes after seeing Cait at Polish Hound's post on those adorable winter glitters, so I've been experimenting on and off with those.

So - back to the (late) snowflakes!

This is a base of the lovely green Pure Ice Not Now topped with the Christmasy glitter of Sinful Sleigh Ride.  From there, I used silver and assorted snowflake designs to stamp my flakes.

I got so many compliments on this one, so, even though it's late, I thought I would share!  Now, to get to work on the design to welcome in 2014!

Have a great (and safe) meeting with the new year, Konaddicts!

Christmas Cheer

Hi, everyone!

It's hard to believe that we've only got 11 days until Christmas!  Well, I was feeling in the spirit this week, and decided to whip up some off-beat Christmas nails.

I chose two different patterns - the traditional candy cane stripes from BM-423and some circles from Gals GA-26.  I used a simple red and stamping white for the candy cane stripes.  For the circles, I chose Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety-Split Lime stamped with Revlon Top Speed Emerald.  I used L'Oreal Walk on the Beach and Wet n Wild Red Creme to fill in the circles.  I topped off my red with a lovely red glitter, Pure Ice First Party.

I'm loving my holiday nails!  I think that means I'll have to try more!

Hope you're having a good start to the Christmas season, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by!

Toasty Sweater Nails

Brrrrr...time to zip into your Christmas sweaters!

Hi, everyone!  For this design, I got to try out two images that I haven't tried before - the sweater design from Winstonia W120 and the cute little zipper from BM 420.

The setup was pretty easy.  I used Sally Hansen Insta Dri Cinna Snap as the base.  I polised  Kleancolor Military Green about halfway down each nail.  I used the beige L'Oreal Walk on the Beach and Winstonia W120 for the stamping and tried to position the line more or less over my half-way point.

I decided to add the zipper just so I could try out the design and also to add a little variety.  I made these as decals - since I didn't think they would stamp well over the darker colors.  I used Konad Special polish in White and BM420.  I filled the stamp in with Kleancolor Chocolate Brown.  Peel, stick, and voila!

Well, Konaddicts, it's almost that time!  What nail goodies are on your holiday shopping list?

Green Granite

Hi everyone! I hope your November is off to a great start!
I was in the mood for a little layering in my manicure.  I was initially thinking of purples, but I was drawn to the combination of teal and black; the rest evolved from there!

I started with a few coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear The Real Teal (I love this color!).  I followed that with a coat of Sinful Pearl Harbor, an iridescent teal glitter.  Then I used Konad Special Polish in black and the awesome "droplet" design on Vivid Lacquer plate VL009 to create the pattern.  I opted for one final layer.  I used Love My Nails Envy - a green chrome - and Mash 43 to add the metallic circles.

This is a fun change for me!  Normally I like my nails like I like my food - all separate and not touching each other!  It's fun to change it up!

So, I'm headed away for a little vacation, Konaddicts.  Any ideas on easy to manage vacation nails?

Circuit Boards

Hi, everyone!
Today I'm wearing a quick manicure using a design from the newest Bundle Monster set.   The is Revlon Top Speed Emerald stamped with My Online Shop stamping polish in pastel green.  The design is from BM 415.  I did a little dotting with Essie No Place Like Chrome and filled in some space with my stamping polish to add a little variety.

We've got an overcast day; it's actually beginning to feel like Fall.  Stay warm and dry, Konaddicts!

Nailasaurus Waterfalls

Hi, everyone!

I've been watching the evolution of Sammie at Nailasauraus's Waterfall nails.  Wow, they're just stunning!  When she posted a tutorial, I decided I would give the style a try.  You start with a base color (in this mani Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet) and paint in the lines in varying colors with a long nail brush. 

I used five different colors for the lines: Sinful Mint Apple, SH Insta Dri Blue Blast, Sinful Midnight Blue, SH The Real Teal, and the very beautiful metallic Nicole Mer-Maid for Each Other.

The execution wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be.  I think the trick is a steady hand (obviously not me!), a good brush, and an eye for color (okay, that's a couple of tricks!).  I think it's the color selection that really sends the design over the top - have your seen Sammi's Fiery Waterfall? ...sigh.... Polish genius!

So...what do you think?  Is this style on your To Do list?

Hello Kitty: Camo Kitty

Hello, everyone!
Hello Kitty reporting for duty!  I received my new MJ HK image plate (I ordered mine from Etsy but you can also get them at the MyOnlineShop Facebook store).  The plate has 50 (gasp!) Hello Kitty images.  There are some that I probably won't use - like an Emo Hello Kitty and a Darth Vader one - but it's lots of fun to have so much variety.

I was intent on using the "army" Hello Kitty image from this plate.  I decided to try a camouflage design for the other nails.  As a side note, apparently I misspelled "camouflage" so badly that my spell check suggested "guacamole" (geez).

The camouflage is made of a base of Essie Fiji.  I used a nail brush and three colors to paint in the irregular shapes that became my camouflage.  I started with the lightest of the three, L'Oreal Walk on the Beach, and then used Milani Cherry Pie and Kleancolor Military Green.  I had to experiment a little with the size of my shapes in order to get a look I was happy with.

For the stamping, I used the "decal" method.  I stamped with Military Green and used a nail brush to fill in the image with Konad Special White for the face and Walk on the Beach for the helmet.  Once I had the image transferred from the stamper to my nail, I streaked a little pearly pink under her eyes.  The image transferred well, but got a little streaky when I added topcoat.

Well, Konaddicts, thanks for reading!  It was fun to try a different look with Hello Kitty.  Hope you're having a great weekend!

Refreshing Lime

Hi, everyone!
I certainly hope it's cooler where you are than it is here!  I figured the heat was a good reason to finally post this lime manicure that I wore a few weeks ago.  I wasn't happy with how my pictures came out but I wanted  to share the design anyway.

This is a base of Sally Hansen Lickety Split Lime and a very thin coat of holo glitter.  I used KD20 and Revlon Top Speed Emerald to stamp the limes.  On my ring finger, I used the fruity Cheeky 20 to stamp those larger limes.

Here's another look:

The image on KD 20 is kind of a fun one because your stamping color because the primary nail color and your base coat peeks through as the design.  It took a little practice to use because if you don't scrape the plate carefully, though, you can get streaks.  If you don't stamp carefully, your image can cut off or just not go on properly.  The final effect is kind of fun, though, and I'd like to play around a little more with this one.

Well, I hope you are doing well and staying cool!  Take care, Konaddicts!

Puzzle Piece Nails

Hello, everyone!
I've been wanting to try out this design since I first saw it on Polishpedia.  I used a base of Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet and used tape and Kleancolor Military Green for the opposing colors.  Once you've got your blocks in, you use a brush to add the puzzle piece "tops".

This was my second try at this and I have to confess that even this one looks better from a distance (say, across the street?) - fuzzy tape lines or wackily shaped pieces....I couldn't quite get this one right.  It really made me miss stamping!

Oh well, keep on keeping on, right, Konaddicts?  Catch you soon!

St. Patrick's Day Nails

Hello, everyone!  St. Patrick's day is right around the corner.  To celebrate, I've gone with an easy and colorful green manicure using a design from Pueen plate 2.

I polished three nails with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety-Split Lime and then used Revlon Top Speed in Emerald for my 2nd and 4th fingers.  Then, I stamped Top Speed Emerald over the lighter Lime on thumb, middle, and pinky.  
I wasn't sure how well Lickty-Split would look over the darker Emerald, so for 2nd and 4th fingers, I opted for an apple green stamping polish from MyOnlineShop's Facebook store (love, love, love these stamping polishes!).  The apple green provided the lighter contrast over the darker color and stamped beautifully.

Quick, easy, and just enough contrasts to keep it interesting.

Wishing you a lucky and safe St. Pat's day, Konaddicts!

Mint Chocolate Mani

Apparently, February 19 is mint chocolate day!  I was sad to have missed it, but decided to celebrate it as a nail design.  I'm not a huge fan of mint, but any friend of chocolate's is a friend of mine!

For this tasty manicure, I started with Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet.  I stamped the cakes with Cheeky CH41 and my go-to brown - Revlon Top Speed Espresso.  I used a small nail brush and the sheery and slightly darker Sinful Mint Apple to around the cake slices to add a little contrast.

I decided to go for a contrasting accent nail.  I used a Nail Savvy chocolate brown and stamped the "yummy" with Cheeky CH42 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jade Jump.

Anyone for a snack?

Thanks for stopping by, Konaddicts!

Homage to Emerald - the color of 2013!

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're recovering from an amazing start to 2013!

I decided to start the new year with an homage to Emerald, the Pantone color of the year.

This is an easy gradient of Sally Hansen Lickety Split Lime and SH Sea Breeze.  It's stamped with that lovely holo Glitter Gal Lizard Belly using Red Angel plate RA-111.  I used a dotting tool and China Glaze Passion to add the gold dots.

Easy peasy!
And stamping with a holo is so much fun (especially since Lizard Belly is a very beautiful but very dark green all on its own).

Hope you're well, Konaddicts!  I finally received my new flocking powder set, so more fuzzy nails are on the horizon!

Also...I've added a few polls in the sidebar!  Be sure to answer - I'd love to learn from your expertise!

Furry Grinch Nails

Hello, everyone!
So, I've been wanting to try out a velvet manicure for a while now.  I also haven't done many holiday designs - I've been too obsessed with my magnetic polishes.  So, when I started this manicure, I figured I could knock out two birds with one stone - a velvet manicure with a holiday theme!

I ordered flocking powder especially for nails, but while I was waiting for that to arrive, I decided to try out Martha Stewart flocking powder (with glitter!) from a local craft store.

I started with a Martha's flocking powder in green and I selected a polish color to match.

Once I got the polish on, I thought, "Hey, this reminds me of the Grinch!"  I'm not much of an artist, so when I saw a crochet patter for this hat, I had an idea of how to draw a simple Grinch face.  I added a little red and white with a nail pen to add to the Christmas theme.

So I was thrilled with these!  I couldn't wait until the next day to try to take a nice photo in the sunlight.

Unfortunately, all of my flocking fell off!!  It seems like (at least to me) the fibers aren't long enough to really say in the polish and to give the nail that fuzzy look.  It might also be a result of the glitter - which looks lovely, but must also make the flocking less dense.

So...

by the next day...

my Grinches were kind of balding!

Oh...now that makes me feel Grinchy indeed!

Oh well, I wanted to share anyway!  I hope your holiday nails are staying together better than mine! :)

By the way, there have been some GREAT holiday designs floating around the blogosphere.  I LOVE the designs that look like cities or snowglobes.  I think I am officially obsessed with Playful Polish's Christmas Design here.  Isn't that the cutest thing?  I think I might have to try it before the holidays are over!  Are there any designs you're trying to fit in before the holidays are over?

Teal Tones

Hi, everyone!  I decided I would try to catch the last rays of this autumn sun to show you this simple teal manicure I'm wearing.  

This is Nail Savvy Electric, a blue green pearl.  I used a chrome blue, Pure Ice Pussy Cat, for the stamping.  The design is from XL Plate A.

I love it!  It's another case of a simple design that looks very elegant.  Gotta love Konad - even the quick manis can look good!

Be well, Konaddicts!  Treat yourself to some roses - that's what I did!

Scales Nails

Good morning, everyone!
I have had so much fun experimenting with the fish scales pattern on Mash 39!  I'd like to try this again - maybe with some blue and green sponging.

This time, I used a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Real Teal topped with the blue and green sparkles of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.  I used Mash 39 - the scales are a little more open than version on Red Angel plates - and Konad Special Polish in Black.

Shake your mermaid tail, Konaddicts!

Summer Cherries

My favorite thing about summer is cherries!  When I was first deciding whether or not to try Konad, seeing the plates with cherries on them was one of the things that cinched the deal.

This is one of those manis that I've always wanted to try but never quite got around to.

For my cherry mani, I used a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme wear Mint Sorbet.  I used Mash 50 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime to add the background lines.  It added more color to the design and made me feel better because I couldn't settle on a green that I really liked.

I used the Pure Ice Siren and Kleancolor Military Green to stamp the cherries using the cherries on Cheeky CH13.  I added a highlight with Pure Ice Sparkle Berry.

Let me tell you...this is one busy design!  But it's also a fun one to wear!

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!