Tiger Belly

I'm walking on the wild side this week!

I just love how these stripes came out (even though my stamping is sometimes a bit wonky).

This was an easy mani that started with a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White.  I sponged a bit of SH Mango Team and the bright orange Revlon Top Speed Charmed to the sides. I used Konad M57 and a stamping black to add the stripes.

The gradient came out much more smoothly on my left hand.

Raaar!

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

Spooky Kitty

Boo!
This is my scariest mani yet!
It's been a while since my last Hello Kitty nail design, so I used our upcoming holiday as an opportunity to try out my a few designs from my beloved MJ-HK plate from the My Online Shop store on Etsy.

For this dotty design, I used a base of the gorgeous orange, Revlon Top Speed Charmed.  I made simple decals of the black cat and witch using Bundle Monster Art Polishes in black and white and accents in Salon Perfect Bellini and Sinful Kiss Me Here.  For the full nail design, I used plate Cheeky CH-10 for the stamping and added a few dots in white to add a little more interest.  To tie all the nails together, I added dots in black, white, and gray.  My only regret is that I forgot to add a second application of top coat, so the polish began to wear.

Halloween nails are so much fun!  Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a safe and fun Halloween!

Summer Cocktails

Hi everyone!
I hope you are enjoying the start to summer!
I have always wanted to try "cocktail inspired" nails, but have never quite figured out how to do it.  This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I'm enjoying this combination.

For this mani, I started with a base of Maybelline Color Show Orange FX.  I made a gradient including Sally Hansen Insta Dri Man-Go Team and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime.  To give it a fizzy, cocktail look, I stamped it with NYC French White Tip using a design from the Cheeky Summer Holiday Jumbo Plate.  I haven't done a three color gradient in a long while, but I really love the look.

Hope you are having fun and staying cool and refreshed, Konaddicts!

2014: Under Construction!

Happy New Year, Konaddicts!  2014 is well underway.  In honor of "constructing" our new year, I decided to try out the traffic and construction designs on plate OB 30.  I've had this unique little plate for a while, and I've been waiting for a chance to try it out.

This mani is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Man-go Team! with Milani Black Magic and silver for the designs.  I'm loving the vibrant color, especially after all of my Christmas designs.  The traffic designs are from OB-30; I stamped the checked pattern on the index finger using Cheeky 13.

My "execution" - I'm sure you've noticed - could use a little work.  When I tried stamping the traffic signs, I couldn't position them correctly or they bent too much around the nail and it threw off the shape.  I also wanted to add a second color to the stripes, so that meant making the designs as decals.  I can usually make my decals without problem, but sometimes getting them on - and tacking them down - is where I run into trouble.  So...there are some weird smudges and chunky parts, but I'm enjoying this one all the same.

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!  I hope your year is off to a dazzling new start!

Fall Stripes- Twin post with Jajuana from Mani's by Moore

Hello, everyone!
Today I'm sharing another twin post with the talented Jajuana from Mani's by Moore.  We selected plate BM-411 as our theme.  I decided to combine the stripes and the heart beat designs from the plate into a simple fall-inspired design.

For the brown nails, I chose Revlon Top Speed Stormy and stamped with Revlon Top Speed Espresso (I love this brown!).  For my accent nail, I used China Glaze Life Preserver and stamped with Orly Prince Charming.  I decided to try to tie the two colors together by using the Espresso to stamp the heart beat.  The plate is BM-411 from the newest Bundle Monster set.

I hope you are having a great fall day, Konaddicts!  I can't wait to see what Jajuana comes up with!

Where's my goldfish?

Hi, everyone!
I love the fish scale pattern.  It's one of my very favorites to play around with.  I normally can't get my colors quite right, but I'm in love with the way this one turned out (so expect  A LOT of pictures!).

For this mani, I used Color Show Sweet Clementine, Milani Metallic Mango, Orly Prince Charming, and Milani Blackberry Baby.

I used Milani Metallic Mango as the base and Prince Charming and Mash 39 for the stamping.  The metallic really adds to the scale-like shimmer.  I made little U-shapes at the bottom of random scales with a dotting tool and Sweet Clementine.

For the accent nail, I used a base of Sweet Clementine and a decal made from plate A48 using Blackberry Baby - darker and more metallic than Prince Charming - and Metallic Mango to fill in the fish's body.

I love the shimmer and the compliment of the lighter color.  I keep peeking at my nails to see whether it looks "really fishy" or just like splotches.

I think I'll be staring at this one for a while, Konaddicts!  Hope your weekend ahead is a great one!

Drops of Sunshine Ombre

Hi, everyone!
I wanted to try an ombre manicure and since I'm hooked on peaches right now, I used these.  I wanted to add to the plain polish, but instead of stamping, I tried out the drip effect using a color a few shades darker.

Here's how it turned out:
Thumb: Insta Dri Butter-fly Stroke and Inst Dri Man-Go Team
Index: Sinful Pull Over and Color Show Sweet Clementine
Middle: Man-Go Team and China Glaze Life Preserver
Ring: Sweet Clementine and Sally Hansen Royal Red Creme
Pinky: Life Preserver and Orly Mind's Eye

So...not sure how I feel about this one.  I've never tried the drip effect before, and with a little practice, I think this could be a fun technique to use!

Hope you are having a warm and colorful day, Konaddicts!

Tropical Heatwave

I am obsessed with peach this summer!  Anything peachy, orange, or mango colored totally catches my attention.  I can't quite get to the look and feel that's in my brain but I'm getting closer.

Here's what I started with - what a lovely trio!

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Butter-fly Stroke is the base.  The design is from Winstonia plate W111.  I used Man-go Team and Orange Impulse to do the stamping, mixing the two a little on the plate.

I felt like something was still missing [glitter], so I added a flower with Milani Blackberry Baby using Cheeky CH2.  I dotted the centers with a rich purple glitter, Orly Bubbly Bombshell.

It's not yet exactly what's in my brain, but it is a bright burst of summer!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

Sweet Tone on Tone Peach

Hello, everyone!
I've been feeling like something a little different - and I love how this turned out!  After all the bright shades, it's nice to wear a sweet, mellow peach.

My base color is Revlon Peach Petal.  The stamping color is the pearly Revlon Bronzed Rose.  The curlicue designs are from Gals plate GA37, the stripes from H-series plates H12, and the flower is the classic from Konad M31.  I finished off with a little rhinestone in the flower.

I've noticed more and more manis with different designs on each finger.  I didn't feel quite that adventurous this time, but I think the stripes add a nice touch.

BTW: have you seen the new Holiday set of Bundle Monster plates?  They have some very cute designs!  At some point, I'm going to have to stop buying plates and get busy using all of them!

I hope you are having some sweet, summer days!

Fall Color Block Manicure

Hello, everyone!
Today I'm wearing a color block manicure in Fall colors.  I done many manicures using tape, so it was nice to try out something different.

I started with a white base and cut scotch tape pieces to make a small cross.  I taped all of my nails at once. Then, I polished in the colors: Kleancolor Coffee Addict, Metallic Yellow, Metallic Orange, and Metallic Red.  I pulled the tape off after I got all the color one.

I couldn't decide whether to leave the taped spaces white or whether to fill them in.  In the end, I used a black nail pen to color in the cross.

People have done some awesome color block designs!  I'm going to have to practice this technique more often!

Be well, Konaddicts!  Hope you're having a great weekend!

Sunset Nails

Hey, everyone!  I'm back with another mani that I've always wanted to try but never quite got around to - the sunset mani.

I started with a base of Sinful Pull Over and sponged on some orange, China Glaze Life Preserver, and a pinkish red, Revlon Cherries in the Snow.

I used Konad Special Polish in black to stamp the palm tree using plate Shany 19,  I added a little China Glaze For Audrey with a nail brush.  I used a nail pen to fill in the tree outline and then used Wet n Wild Black Creme to freehand the "islands".

I like wearing this one, but my XL Plate A with the puzzle pieces arrived, so I don't think I'll be sporting this one for very long.

Catch you soon, Konaddicts!

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!

Citrus Sunburst

For this fresh and fruity mani, I layered the stamps a bit, moving from the lighter color at the top to the red at the bottom.

I started with a base coat of Rimmel 60 Seconds Extreme polish in Va Va Voom.  I rounded off the edges of the swirled pattern on plate DRK-A with a q-tip so that I could get close to a solid stripe of circles.

I stamped using Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening, then L'oreal Pumpkin, and finally, Pure Ice Siren for the tips.




I like the overall bright and cheery effect, and I especially liked the layering of the lighter yellow over the slightly more peachy base color.  The pearl of the base color also provides an interesting contrast with the creme polishes overlying it.

Playing with colors is so much fun!  What combinations are you aching to try this summer, Konaddicts?

Butterfly Nails

The pattern of Plate A03 reminds me of butterfly wings.  I took a look at some butterfly pictures and gave the coloring a shot.

I started with a base coat of gold, Milani Morning Sunshine.  I sponged a bit of Kleancolor Metallic Mango for the color gradations.  For the stamping, I used plate A03 and Kleancolor Metallic Black.  I used a pin with a little silver for the dots.

This mani makes me smile and reminds me of warm summer days.  Ahh.... :)

Just peachy!

So, my Kleancolor metallics have arrived!  They are beautiful colors!  I got a set of 8, but here's a shot of my favorites.  I bought my set on eBay where they were a little over a dollar per bottle (great value!).

L-R: Kleancolor Metallic Sapphire, Metallic Fuschia, Metallic Mango, Metallic Green

They're a little tough to use for stamping because they dry pretty quickly and have a chunky consistency.  They're just so pretty and sparkly, though, that it's worth the effort.

For this mani, I used Plate A24, Kleancolor Pastel Peach, and Kleancolor Metallic Mango.

Here's a pic of the stamp close up.  It's pretty fun, and it matches my current crochet project!

Although, to be fair, most things match my current crochet project!

Have a colorful week, Konaddicts!