MoYou Egyptian Plate

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

I finally had an opportunity to try out my Artist Collection plate from MoYou.  It's the first mani that I've made from one of these large, full design image plates.

Here's the plate.  I love the history and art of ancient Egypt, so it was a must-buy for me.

The plate is beautiful and most of the designs have an authentic feel to them.  The Cleopatra is a little modern, but it's a lovely design.

I decided to start with Sally Hansen Insta Dry Sand Storm.  I sponged it with Sally Hansen Extreme Wear White On to add a little texture to the background.  The designs are a mix of stamping and decals.  I made decals of Anubis and the Cleopatra so that I could add a gold emphasis to the designs.

I love the designs on this plate, and the full size design allows many different design options.  I did find that some of the designs were too big for my nails.  I also love incorporating a lot of different colors into my designs, and I haven't yet thought about how I would do that this type of plate.  Overall, though, I'm happy with the plate.  How can you be unhappy wearing a winged scarab?

How do you all like these larger, fully etched stamping plates, Konaddicts?

...He Loves Me Not

Hello, everyone!  Today's mani is the other side of the coin - because not all love stories end in hearts and flowers.  This is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Rapid Red topped with two coats of the subtle, glitter NYC Broadway Burgundy.  I stamped the pattern with Winstonia W203 using My Online Shop Special Polish in Black.  For the accent nail,I used a pattern from Messy Mansion MM03 and filled in the design around the heart with black.  I painted my "break" in with a nail brush.

Hope you've got your Valentine's cupcakes baked and ready to go!  Thanks for stopping by!

Custom Nail Decals: Bollywood Nails

 Hello, everyone!
One of my nail dreams has come true!  I am wearing Shah Rukh Khan nails!  Shah Rukh Khan is a hugely famous Bollywood star and my very favorite actor. These super fan nails put a smile on my face every time I look down. :)

So...this mani started with a Google search.  I was wondering whether anyone would make custom nail decals for you.  I stumbled on Fireside Gifts on Fiverr.  The seller seemed to have good feedback and the decals were only $5!  I thought I would give it a shot.

I placed an order for two sets, sent a link to a photo, and a few days later got a picture of my order before it was slipped into the mail.  How awesome is that?

They arrived with a full set of instructions as well as a link to a video how-to.  I promptly ignored the instructions (of course!) and got to work.

The quality is awesome, you get two sheets of varying sizes of decals, and they're easy to apply with a little water.

Easy, peasy and what awesome possibilities this unlocks: - babies, anniversaries, memorials, sheesh (and, of course, very attractive movie stars - haha)!

You'll have to have a white background for the decals.  I started with a white base, applied the decal,  and then polished the area around it black.  There's a bit of a "halo" here, in direct, artificial light, but you don't notice it most of the time.

This is Wet n Wild Black Creme and a dusting of the glitter Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight Glitz.  I used Essie Good as Gold for the stamping.  The plates are BM17, BM421, Konad 16 & 17, Cheeky CH51.

Of course, these nails put me in the mood for movies!

Have you considered custom decals?  What ideas do you have in mind?

Alien Attack!

Whoa, watch out, we're under attack!

For this fun little mani, I started with a base of Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I pulled out my stamping polishes from My Online Shop in bright yellow, green, pale blue.  I used yellow and BM 14 for the stars.  I used stamping polishes for the little monsters on middle and thumb.  I pulled out a very old (and awesome) bottle of Sally Hansen Chrome in Burmese Ruby for the thumb monster.

For the ring finger and pinky, I stamped the monsters in white and tried to covertly (or not so covertly) fill them in with sheery polishes.  The monsters are those adorable guys from Cheeky 34 and 45.

The execution wasn't perfect - I probably just should have stuck with the stamping polishes - but I love the colors!

Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes on the skies, Konaddicts!

Checkmate

Hey, all!
I've got a quick mani to share today.  This is Wet n Wild Lavender Creme stamped with the checkerboard pattern from Mash 38 using Konad Special Polish in Black.  The crown is stamped from Red Angel plate 119.

Quick, easy, and fun!
Thanks for reading Konaddicts!  See you soon!

Stacked Deck

Hi, everyone!  Happy Friday!
So, I've been eyeing the QA 29 plate for quite a while but I kept trying to convince myself that I didn't need any more plates!  Well, this plate was on sale at the Born Pretty Store for, like, $2!  Irresistible, right? (Well, that's what I keep telling myself!)

My plate finally arrived!  I decided to try out a tape manicure to create the look of playing cards.

I started with Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.  I used tape to create the "card" corner and used Kleancolor Metallic Black over the tape.  Then, I stamped the card designs with Wet n Wild Black Creme and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Racin' Red.

So...I had some technical difficulties - my tape edges weren't straight, I ended up with another color (from where?  who knows?) in the white while I was cleaning up the edges.  Then I had some smearing with my topcoat.  So, this one's got some flaws, but it's still pretty fun to wear.

I decided to call it "Stacked Deck" when I noticed two ace of hearts on my left hand!

Take care, Konaddicts!  See you soon!

Metallic Gold and Black

Hello, everyone!
I am still not feeling 100%.  This year's flu is a nasty one!

I decided to go with another simple two-color manicure.  This is Essie Good as Gold stamped with Konad Special Polish in Black using a design from the Pueen 12 plate.

It's simple and strangely interesting.

Here's another shot of the golden goodness!

Well - that's all for now, Konaddicts!  

Pueen Nail Plates Mini Review

Hi everyone!
I'm sorry I've been missing lately.  I came down with a terrible case of the flu!  Now, almost SIX days later, I'm finally well enough to show you a new addition!

When I spotted my Christmas Amazon gift card, I knew exactly where it would go - a set of Pueen nail plates I'd accidentally run across!  It's a set of 25 plates, you can see the designs in the Amazon listing here, for about $18.

The plates come individually packaged including the film to protect the engraving.   Each plate has a backing and the edges are smooth.

In terms of stamping quality, the designs that I've tried have stamped beautifully, which is great because some of the designs are really interesting and different - I think the alligator skin pattern is going to be a favorite of mine!

Each plate has about four full nail designs and two smaller designs (the reindeer, snail, and Mary Jane shoes were unique enough to sell me on the set!).

Pueen 23.  Sorry for the low light - it was way too cold to take pictures outside!

In terms of size, the full nail stamps most closely match the size of pattern in the 2nd and 3rd set of Bundle Monster plates.  Here's a quick comparison using a full nail pattern from Pueen, BM, and Konad.

Well - I can't wait to take more time to try out my new plates.  So far, I think they are a great addition to my collection (and for a very reasonable price) - thanks, Santa!

Take care, Konaddicts, and, if it's as cold where you are as it is here, be sure to bundle up!

*******
UPDATE 1/23

Jane asked for close ups of Pueen 20 and Pueen 24.  Here they are!

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!

Black Accented French Manicure

Today's post is actually from several weeks back.  I have mixed feelings about this one, but I'll put it out there anyway.  I really like the black accents in French manicures, but I can't decide what I don't like about this one.

This is simply a base of  Orly French Manicure Sheer Nude, tips polished with Wet n Wild Black Creme, stamped with Konad Special Polish in White using BM 218.  I figured it might be a good time to use the black rhinestones in the wheel I have (because when else will I use them?), so I stuck one on each nail.

Hmm...thoughts on this one?

Hot Rod Flames

Happy almost Friday, everyone!  A very busy week continues.  On the bright side...it's almost the weekend!

Today, I'm wearing hot rod flames using Mash 48 image plate.  I loved this design when I got my plates, and it took me a while to settle on how I wanted to design my flames.  I decided to go with a base of Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used three polishes for the stamping and I mixed them a little with the scraper before stamping.  For the flames, I used that my awesome new MyOnlineShop Stamping Polish in Yellow and Sally Hansen Insta Dris in Racin' Red and Snappy Sorbet.

Some of my flames came out better than others, but even with the imperfections, this is a fun one to wear.  I'm suddenly feeling very "edgy"!

Be well, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

Starstruck

Happy Saturday, Konaddicts!
I'm feeling better today, so I wanted to post today's manicure.

I love stars and, after trying other star full nail designs, I think the stars on Mash 40 are perfect!

I started with several coats of Maybelline Color Show Twilight Rays.  It's a black base with a gold glitter.

The glitter in Twilight Rays is pretty subtle, so I decided to use the China Glaze Blonde Bombshell to add some additional sparkle.  The Blonde Bombshell is a rich glitter, so instead of polishing the whole nail, I decided to stamp it using the streak pattern on BM 316.

Finally, I stamped the stars using Mash 49 and China Glaze Passion.

Oh, this design feels very Hollywood - despite the smears... :)

Have a great weekend, Konaddicts!

Puzzled (the Remix)

More puzzle pieces!
This is another using the puzzle design from the XL-A plate.

This is Wet n Wild Black Creme stamped with Pastel Blue Special Stamping Polish from MyOnlineShop's Facebook store.  After an exceptionally difficult couple of weeks, I treated myself to several bottles of their stamping polish.  Including shipping, each bottle turned out to be about $6.25/ea.  

Six bucks a bottle is more than I usually like to pay for a polish, but, wow, look at how that color pops!

Is everyone waiting with bated breath for the new set of Cheeky plates?  They're supposed to be out as early as Friday! Woo hoo!

See you later, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 25: Inspired by a Fashion

I had a hard time coming up with something that I could say was inspired by a fashion.  I decided to go with something inspired by the 50s.  I wanted VERY MUCH to make poodle skirts, but that dang poodle on BM04 was just too big.  

Since my poodles, didn't work, I opted for polka dot, since so many vintage dresses seem to sport them.

I started with my stand-by red, Pure Ice Siren.  I taped the bottoms with scotch tape and polished the top portion black.  I used the dots from BM 19 to stamp the polka dots over the tips in Konad Special polish in white.  

Lot of 50s dresses have a flower on the bodice, so I added a flower from Red Angel 109 as an accent and dotted the center with red.

I like it!  I don't usually like my nails to be so dark, but the red really livens it up!"

Cool it, Konaddicts, and I'll catch you later for "Inspired by a Pattern" nails!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 19: Galaxies

How could I have forgotten to post my "Galaxy" nails?  Well, without further ado, here they are:

This is Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used the scraper to mix a little of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening (yellow) with Pure Ice Love (pink) to stamp my "vortex".  I used XL Plate B for the design.  I used Love My Nails Silver Bullet and BM05 to complete the design with the big silver star.

This design was different for me.  I don't always like having black nails but stamping the lighter colors over the black softens the black up some and made it, for me, a more wearable design.

Take care, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print

Sooo....my "animal print" mani is a bit of a bust.  I tried to come up with a cool looking rattlesnake but couldn't quite get it right.  I polished, stamped, dried...and then took it all off. :(

By then, it was late, my polishes were strewn everywhere and I still didn't have an "animal print" mani.  I decided I would opt for cows - they're only two colors and seem simple enough.

Well...it turned out okay, but it's not one of my favorites.  It's a very simple base of Sally Hansen Whirlwind White stamped with Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used fauxnad M61 for the spots and fauxnad S10  for the little cow...or is that a giraffe?

I'm not happy with this one, but I figured I would go ahead and share and move on to the next challenge - flowers.

Thank you so much to all of you who read and take the time to comment.  You all make my day!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 7: Black and White Nails

Hello, everyone!
Today's challenge is black and white, a bold combination that I don't use very often.  For this mani, I used Wet n Wild Black Creme as a base.  I stamped with Konad Special Polish in White and used one of the designs from my XL Image Plate B (which has been getting a lot of use since I started this challenge!).

I like it!  This has been another challenge that has forced me out of my (rather pastel) comfort zone!

Thanks for dropping by!  See you tomorrow for "metallic nails".

Hello Kitty of the Month: Bling Kitty

Whoa - it's almost the end of May!  I had better get my monthly Hello Kitty mani in!

For this mani, I decided to depart from my usual kitty-pastel-sweetness.  This time, I went for bling!  This isn't typically my style, so it's fun to try something new.

The base is Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I used China Glaze Passion and Cheeky plate CH5 for the stamping.  I used B87 to stamp kitty.  Kitty's bow and nose are filled with a cheapie Nail Star nail pen.  The rhinestones are stickers.

Every now and then, I look down and think "Who's blinged out hands are these?" Ha!  I guess that means I need to try new things more often.

Take care, Konaddicts.  Try something new this week!

Seeing Stars (the Remix)

Hi, everyone!

Now that my Layla Hologram Effects Flash Black has arrived, I thought I would give my Seeing Stars mani another try.

Flash Black is an awesome color!  In the shade, it's a mild charcoal grey.  

In the sun, Flash Black is dazzling!

Here's another look:

I used the same plate - Cheeky Plate CH4 - to stamp the stars and substituted Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White for the silver I used last time.

What do you think of this redo, Konaddicts?