Purple Hearts

Hi, everyone!
Guess who just got a bunch of new Kleancolor polishes?  I did!  I couldn't decide which of my new purples to wear, so I decided to wear them all!

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Lacey Lavendar as a base and sponged on Kleancolor True Purple, Kleancolor Love Affair, and Kleancolor Lavenbaby.  I didn't want to go without stamping (gasp!), so I used Essie No Place Like Chrome and Vivid Lacquer VL009 for the hearts.

Sorry about the chip.  If it's not sunny weather, I can nearly guarantee that I'll have a chip somewhere by the time we get a little sun for a photo!

So...ladies...have you noticed the new stamping plates out on Amazon?  A second set of Winstonia plates, some adorable designs by CICI&SISI (Jajuana has a cute design using these)?  

Dear oh dear, I fear my gift cards are all a thing of the past!

Catch you later, Konnadicts!

Pastel Gradient Nails

Hello, everyone!  Happy 12-12-12!
I've been meaning to post this one for a while.  I've been experimenting with velvet mani - with varying levels of success - so I figured that now might be a good time to "pull something from the archives".

This is a simple and soft sponging mani.  The base is Kleancolor Pastel Yellow.  It's sponged with China Glaze Secret Peri-Winkle at the top and Revlon Demure at the tips.  I used Insta Dri Violet Vroom and Mash 40 for the stamping.

I like this!  It's perfect for a Spring day - or for a winter day when your velvet mani didn't quite work out like it was supposed to.  :-)

Well, Konaddicts, back to these busy pre-holiday weeks!  I hope you each are getting ready for the holidays - they'll be here before we know it!

Parchment and Roses

Hi everyone!

First, you may have noticed that I have 50 followers now!  Thank you so much!  I so much appreciate that you stop by to see what my polishes and I are up to!

To celebrate you, and one my one year blog anniversary later this month, I'll be posting details of a little giveaway later in the month.

So...on to today's manicure!

I was feeling nostalgic and trying to think of a design that was romantic, elegant, and kind of old fashioned.  I thought back to all those photos of roses on old music sheets (now you know what all my screen savers were back in the day!) and ultimately came up with this design.  I also wanted to try a new technique, so I created this look using saran wrap.

I started first with a base of that lovely caramel, L'Oreal The Perfect Trench (I am not yet over this color!).  I sponged on a little Revlon Top Speed in Stormy to add a darker color.  I covered the entire nail with white - Pure Ice Siren - and dabbed it using saran wrap.  That worked perfectly to give me the mottled-type background for the roses.  (Doesn't that seem like a weird combination?  It worked, though!)

I used BM 323 and Pure Ice Rumors for the roses.  I added the leaves from XL Plate I with Revlon Top Speed Emerald.

Ah...this suits my mood perfectly (isn't it great when that happens?).

Take care, Konaddicts, and see you soon!

Moons & Stars

Today, I'm wearing moons and stars!  I love moons and stars; they remind me of my favorite pair of comfy pajamas. I have searched and searched for an image of moon and stars together and couldn't find anything that fit the bill, so, for this mani, I decided to improvise.

I started with a base of Sinful Midnight Blue.  I sponged on some Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Blue Blast. I added some glitter with Wet n Wild Shine Kaleidoscope.  I stamped the designs with Konad Special polish in White and China Glaze Passion.

I used images from Mash 32 for the moon, Mash 33 for the shooting star, and Cheeky 4 for the star cluster.

It's cosmic!
I really like how this turned out (despite the dent I managed to get on my thumb)...

Sheesh...my nails are getting longer.  I think I might try some french manicure designs before one of them breaks!

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

PS:  Guess what?  My new set of Cheeky plates finally arrived in the mail!  Hooray!  I can't wait to try them out!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 10: Gradient Nails

For my "gradient nails", I decided to go with one of the looks that initially drew me to try Konad.  I started with a base of Bella Il Fiore Baby Doll - a sheer french base.  I decided to start sponging with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink; then I went with a medium pink, Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink; and finished the darker pink, Kleancolor Barbie Pink. I slapped on some topcoat and then stamped the flourish using Red Angel RA-116 and Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.  I didn't have any actual pearly accents, so I used Love My Nails Angel, the pearly white, and a dotting tool to add the dots.

I love the look of sponging but I never feel like I have it totally down...  Today's mani was a good chance to get out the sponges and to give it a try!   BTW:  All you polish queens, what sponges do you think are the best to use?

The next challenge is polka dot nails!  See you then!

Valentine Gradient

Here's an early Valentine's design.  It's a pink gradient stamped using Red Angel RA-114.  I really like this plate, so I'm sure I'll be posting more variations soon!

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.... :)

Halloween Masala Manicure

This Halloween mani started with a base of Rimmel 60 Seconds Extreme polish in Va Va Voom.  I added a little sponging in orange and bronze.  I stamped the spooky tree branches in Revlon Top Speed Espresso using Bundle Monster plate BM 224.  I tried out random other Halloween stamps (most also from the second Bundle Monster set) in Milani Black Magic for the bats, haunted houses and spiders.  Two coats of Out the Door top coat, and voila!

Have a fun and safe Halloween everyone!